this does not include an eating disorder but this can be triggering for some, so be careful as you read.
[Chapter 5]
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"The mayor's grandson left this house on crutches," Mirabel told her father, who was sitting at the breakfast table next to her. "Julieta couldn't cure him?" Bruno asked surprised. "She said he could walk on his own, but he decided to use the crutches, I think he's a crybaby," Mirabel answered as the two of them were drinking the coffee that Mirabel had prepared the morning after the party.
Mirabel and Bruno got up before the family, as they were still resting after that monumental party. "Grandma offered me money to get out of here," Mirabel said. "Of course, we are not useful to her, and after what happened last night, it's clear that all we've caused is trouble for the family." Her dad replied.
Mirabel was sad to hear that. She had decided to hate Encanto from the very moment she saw the town from the hill. Yet, a part of her still hoped that this family loved her even a little. Her grandmother seemed to despise her, her sisters barely had time to speak to her, and her parents' love seemed almost sick. Mirabel remembered the night before, how Isabela had rescued her, the kindness of Luisa and Camilo, the love that Antonio already felt for her. Perhaps Bruno was wrong.
" Maybe Grandma really wants us to be happy together," said Mirabel, who desperately needed a positive answer. Her dad gave her an indulgent smile. It was clear that he didn't think so, but he would let her believe what she wanted. "Perhaps you are right, my mariposita" replied Bruno. He gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Suddenly, Camilo and Antonio entered the room running, they were racing to see who would get to the kitchen first. Bruno watched them. "Well, well, but if it is the hero who rescued my girl yesterday," Bruno joked with Antonio. The boy blushed and barely nod, apparently his father scared him, which was understandable, considering he had grown up hearing stories about the cruel murderer of his cousin.
"Uncle" began Camilo who sat down at the table in front of Bruno. "I have an idea, you could approach that idiot in the street, with all green eyes stravaganza and tell him that you see something very bad in his future, even if it is not true. He'll have a heart attack, considering your reputation." Camilo suggested. Bruno nodded, "sounds like a great idea, I could do something like that". "No, please," Mirabel requested, "I don't want to have any more problems with him."
"Okay", Camilo accepted, who seemed completely disappointed to lose another opportunity to take revenge on the mayor's grandson. The other members of the family arrived one by one as the kitchen filled with smells. Mirabel volunteered to help prepare breakfast, which meant that she was able to eat that day, since she had no doubts about food. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Antonio ran to open the door.
It was a boy of Antonio's age who announced with a bright and smiling face that all the members of the house were invited to a party at his family's house. Mirabel gave the boy a smile when she received the invitation. However, everyone in the family held their breath as the little boy approached Bruno and shared one of the white envelopes.
"Did the Ruiz Diaz family have the nerve to invite him?" Isabela asked furious once the boy left the house. "Oscar Ruiz Díaz and I have been friends since childhood. We've been friends for forty years," Bruno said seriously. "It's understandable that he wants to invite me," he continued. "Perfect" answered Julieta who folded the envelope and put it directly in the trash, "then I won't go" she said. "None of us will go," Agustín said as he shared a look with Luisa and Isabela.
"I think the most adequate thing is for none of us to go," said Grandma while looking at Pepa and her family. Pepa and Felix nodded. "What?" Camilo asked, alarmed. "The parranda at the Ruiz Diaz house is quite an event. Everyone in town will be there, well, everyone who likes fun," she said.
"Camilo, stop, you won't go," Pepa murmured between her teeth. Her cousin was really upset. Mirabel was furious, they may believe her father was the worst human being on the face of the earth. But, for her, he was her dad, and she loved him.
"I do want to go," said Mirabel. "No one in this town speaks to me. This family is the only one that has invited me to one of their events. I feel very lonely," she continued. "Mirabel" Julieta said "you are not helping yourself", continued her mother, "please, try to understand our position". "And you try to understand mine, mom," replied Mirabel. "I can't erase the past, I can't erase what I feel"
"Okay," Julieta agreed furiously, "but if the Ruiz Diaz family needs any kind of medical help again, don't count on me," her mother said, as her jaw tensed with anger.
"You are very unfair Julieta, you know well that Matilde Ruiz Diaz has a delicate health" Bruno said, but her sister didn't even bother to answer. Bruno laughed bitterly "This family has a strange way of making themselves respected," said her father. "I don't understand you, Julieta. You're always saying you'd do anything for your daughters, but you didn't do anything to stop that young man from harassing Mirabel. You say you protect them, but the truth is that the only thing I see is you allowing mom to hand them over as if they were livestock to the highest bidder, or am I wrong? he asked. Mirabel saw Isabela covering her mouth and discreetly leaving the kitchen, that statement had hurt her.
"Enough," her grandmother said as she slapped the palm of her hand on the table. "Leave Julieta alone, she is doing her duty to her family."
"I don't, mother?" Bruno yelled, "And I don't? '' he repeated. Mirabel was stunned. She had never seen Bruno so upset. "I am also taking care of my family, that side of the family that no one else wanted to take care of," she said. "How dare you? Agustin asked, as he tried to hurt him, but Felix was faster and stopped him.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The next couple of days passed without the slightest change.
Mirabel sat during the afternoon in a rocking chair in the back garden of the house while she read Alberto's letter for the thousandth time.
"It feels like a long time has passed here, and I still don't understand the reason for your silence. Mirabel, I wonder if you have forgotten about us, because you went far away and forgot about my kisses. At this rate I don't know when the good things will come, because only bad news comes from the capital.
I know I would give anything to see you again, hear your voice and touch you again.
I also tell you that at night it rains a lot and the moon does not come out of her discontent. Esperanza, Miriam and the others send you greetings and many regards.
But, despite all the time that has passed, it has taught me that when you love each other you find yourself again, and I know that in this land in the middle of nowhere, I will love you again".
Mirabel sighed as she flopped onto the back of the rocking chair. Unfortunately, Mirabel didn't see Camilo, Luisa and Dolores who joined her on the other chairs and were looking at her with a smile on their face. They sighed romantically in unison, followed by a chorus of laughter. Mirabel couldn't help but join. Suddenly, Isabela came out of the house and sat with them. The change in atmosphere was immediate, it was evident that her sister was.
in a bad mood.
"Where did you go?" Dolores asked her, as she also wanted to know the reason for her bad mood. "With Mariano," Isabela answered bluntly. Dolores seemed eager to change the subject, so she turned her attention back to Mirabel. "I guess that this big romantic sigh is due to a letter from your boyfriend," said her cousin.
"Yes," Mirabel nodded. "Are you still excited about that jerk?" Camilo asked with a disgusted expression on his face. "Believe me, I met him. He believes he is the great thing. He spends his time hanging around town, just because he's a small town heartthrob. He even has admirers and everything", Camilo complained.
"A conceited guy, who thinks he's a big deal and he lives walking around town. Are you talking about someone else, or yourself? Because it seems that you are talking about yourself" asked Dolores. Camilo received those words as a slap, while her cousins laughed at him, to the point that Isabela was able to put aside her unhappiness for a few seconds and laugh at Camilo.
"He gave you that necklace?" Louisa asked. "Yes" Mirabel replied smiling, "it was his farewell gift, so that we both remember that we will see each other soon" she said. "That we will see each other soon..." Isabela mocked, who seemed more unhappy as the seconds passed. "You won't see each other soon, mom and dad won't let you leave until you come of age, by then, he will have a new girlfriend, and maybe Grandma it's going to force you to get married before. After all, you're good for nothing and it's the best thing you could do for the family.
"Isabella!" Dolores exclaimed. "Apologize right now, you have no right to talk to her like that" Luisa said, annoyed. Mirabel felt a pang in her stomach and felt like crying at her cruel comment. However, she remembered that Isabela seemed to be the most unhappy person she had ever met, and she dismissed it.
"There is no need for you to apologize," Mirabel said. "It's actually hard to take any word from you seriously, it's clear you're the unhappiest person I've ever met and you're taking it out on me just because I'm not."
"Please" Isabela said as she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Stop denying reality. Bruno is not your father, and the life you thought was yours was really just a fantasy. You must stop dreaming and put your feet on the ground once and for all, in reality, nothing will be like before, no matter how much you want it. Your dearest "papi" is nothing more than a murderer who kidnapped an anonymous little girl, drowned her in a river and dressed her in your clothes, to confuse us and make us all think that you were dead. Mom was the only one smart enough to see through that trick.
Mirabel felt her breath quicken and her eyes filled with tears. Isabela had made it, she had hurt her like no one in that house. Whether she liked it or not, she was right. Things would never be the same between Bruno and her, that experience had changed their relationship, no matter how much she avoided all those doubts she had about the past.
"Enough!" Camilo said who approached her and helped her up, "come Mirabel, let's go to your room, I think you need to rest, while Isabela can go kick innocent kittens or do something that makes her happy," he continued while the two of them walked towards the house.
Mirabel lay on her bed, and there she spent the next few hours until Camilo came back in after dinnertime. "Do you want to eat something?" he asked. "If you don't want to eat at home we can go out to a restaurant or something," he said. Mirabel got up, and she sat with her back against the headboard of the bed. "I don't want to go out," she answered. He exhaled and sat down next to her on the bed. "I don't want to worry you, or criticize you, but you've lost a lot of weight since you arrived, and you could get sick," Camilo said.
Mirabel was in no mood to answer. Actually, she wasn't in the mood to do anything, so she decided to change to her nightgown and crawl into her bed until the next day. The new day came, but she didn't want to go to work. What was the point? Isabela was right, her normal life had disappeared, and things would never be the same again. Probably, when she arrived, she would find Alberto with someone else. There was no point in continuing to work if she couldn't get the money to go home, since there was no home to go back to.
"Mirabel" Bruno called her on the other side of the door. "May I speak with you?" he asked. "No," she replied. "Please let me in, I need to talk to you" he insisted. "No," Mirabel replied. "Okay, I'll leave you alone until noon, but if you don't let me in, I'll do it anyway," Bruno warned. "Get out of here," Mirabel yelled. When lunchtime came, someone else knocked on the door. "Mirabel" Isabela called her this time. "Mirabel, please, I'm very sorry, let me in, I…
"Go away!" Mirabel yelled. Isabela left, and no one bothered her again until nightfall. "Hey, open up," Camilo said from the other side of the door. Mirabel got up with difficulty, since she felt a little dizzy, and she walked to the door. "What do you want?" she asked. "Talk to you," she replied. Mirabel slowly opened the door and allowed him to go in. He sat on her bed and put a plate on the nightstand.
"I know you don't want to eat anything made by aunt Julieta, so I made something myself. It's not a big deal, but it's food, and that's what matters," Camilo said. Mirabel looked at it, it was a banana, a tangerine, a piece of cheese, a shapeless arepa that seemed too dry and some boiled chicken. "I know it's pathetic, I can barely make arepas and the chicken looks pale and tasteless, but I want you to eat something, you can't get sick," she continued. Mirabel had never seen Camilo so upset and worried.
"Thank you very much" replied Mirabel who took the tangerine and began to peel it. "This is a disaster, when we went for you, when your parents told me what was happening, I thought we would do you a favor, I never thought this would end so badly," said Camilo, who looked very displeased. "Can I trust you?" Mirabel asked. He nodded very slowly. "I want to know the truth, I need to know what Isabela was talking about" asked Mirabel.
"Isabela said the truth, or at least it seems so," Camilo said, making her hold her breath. "Shortly after you left, the group of mountain explorers our grandmother hired found a dead girl. Don't ask me how, because I don't know, I was very young. She seemed to be you, and she even had your clothes. However, Aunt Julieta refused to recognize her, she did not sign the autopsy, nor did she allow the case to be closed. Everyone thought that she had gone mad because of sadness, but she insisted that it wasn't you. Grandma played along and continued the search for years. The investigation remained open for about three more years, until our grandmother went to a lawyer and asked a judge to declare you legally dead."
"How did you find out I am alive?" Mirabel asked. "I do not know. Agustín and Tía Julieta announced that they would go on a trip to the capital. Which is quite strange, since Agustín never had good relations with his family. Isabela and Luisa couldn't go because of the harvest, so I offered to go. We all thought it was a normal vacation trip" explained Camilo.
"When did you find out what was happening?" Mirabel asked. "Later. Your parents asked me to stay with Agustín's mother for a few days, since they had to run a couple of errands. I still remember the exact moment they returned. Aunt Julieta looked pale and Agustín little less than ill. That night they confessed everything to me. The investigator took them to the town where you lived. But they thought my help would be invaluable in getting you home. At first we stayed in Tutama, the neighboring town. I followed you for weeks. I became friends with your friends, I pretended to be your neighbors. You seemed happy, but Aunt Julieta kept insisting that we should save you" Camilo said, dismayed.
"Aunt Julieta insisted over and over again that it would be too much for you to find out right away what Bruno did. She thought that you would die of sadness knowing that your beautiful life in that town was a lie, so she asked us to keep quiet, she even told the town during the council meeting. Bruno probably murdered that girl and erased your memory. The truth is that I did not understand much of what the Judge and the detectives from Manizales said when they found out about the case, but I think that the investigation of the death of that girl was opened again," said Camilo.
Mirabel took a deep breath. Julieta was not mistaken, that was too much for her. Bruno couldn't be a murderer, he couldn't have done something like that. She finished her meal and went back to bed. The next day, she did not want to see anyone, not even the next, or the next. She went out for a few moments to drink a couple of glasses of water and go to the bathroom, until on the third day Mirabel heard the sound of the keys in her door. Mirabel got up in her bed and realized that it was her grandmother and Isabela.
"Enough, Mirabel," said her grandmother. "Your parents and Bruno have asked for you not to be disturbed, but this tantrum has gone too far. You're going to get up and eat something. I'm not going to let you just lie there and die from hunger." her grandmother said. Mirabel looked at Isabela. Her sister was bringing a plate of food, so she was afraid that Isabela would be able to force her to eat. Knowing Isabela, it wouldn't be strange.
"Mom" said Bruno and Julieta who came through the door in a frenzy. "Leave her alone, she doesn't want to eat that, I'll take her to a restaurant, or prepare something for her, please, don't scare her anymore" asked Bruno who entered the room and stood between Mirabel and her grandmother. "Please, mom, I already sent Antonio to buy food for her, there's no reason to force her," Julieta asked.
"Nonsense, all you've done is pamper her since she arrived," her grandmother said. "Mom, I agree with grandma, she has to eat, you can't let her die in this room," said Isabela. "It is completely irrational that she doesn't want to eat the same food that we eat".
Unfortunately, Isabela did not understand. Maybe Mirabel's fear was beyond any logical explanation, but she couldn't eat anything, it could be dangerous. There was no way to make sure that her mother or her grandmother would not try to transform her into a docile and obedient creature, just like Bruno had done years ago. Mirabel couldn't and didn't want to accept her reality. Suddenly, she saw a couple of vines sprout very slowly from the corners. None of those present seemed to notice them, but she knew that this meant Isabela was willing to force her to eat, regardless of the consequences.
Mirabel got out of bed and ran into the hall. She barely thought about what she did, she just ran to the entrance, while she heard Isabela yell: "Close the doors Casita" the doors moved, but Mirabel yelled: "No, I need to get out". The house ignored Isabela's order and listened to her. However, just as she was about to cross the threshold, she collided with someone.
"Stop her, Mariano," Julieta asked as they all went down the stairs. Mirabel tried to free herself from Mariano's grasp, but he was too strong.
"Calm down, calm down," said Mariano. "Why are you so upset? where are you going?" he asked. "I need to escape from this house, I'm going to the forest," Mirabel replied . "You will not go to the forest barefoot and in your pajamas, it is very dangerous" answered Mariano. Mirabel tried to run away again, but he was able to quickly stop her.
"Thank you Mariano," said Isabela as she approached. "Could you help us feed her?" her older sister asked. "Do you want to feed her by force?" answered Mariano who did not seem pleased with the idea. "Mirabel is very afraid of my food. Actually, she is very afraid of everything in this house, "Julieta answered. "We will not force-feed her."
"I'm glad to hear it, because I don't think it's the right thing to do, considering everything that has happened to this girl lately, I think it's cruel," Mariano said, staring at Isabela. Her sister looked back at him as she blushed with anger. "It's crueler to let her starve in her room. I just want my little sister to be okay, I don't want her to get sick," she replied. "If I'm honest with you, I don't know what scares me more about you, Isabela, your way of loving or your way of hating, because the two are very similar," replied Mariano. Isabela was speechless, as the rest of her family. Suddenly her grandmother laughed politely. "Come on, let's forget this nonsense" she said as she took Mirabel away from Mariano's side and left her with Bruno. "Mirabel will go with her mom and Bruno to the kitchen, and the best thing will be for you to have a cup of coffee in the living room. There's nothing a good tinto can't fix" her grandmother said as she led them into the living room.
"I adore Isabela, she is my baby, but it scares me how similar she is to mom," Julieta told Luisa, while her sister served everyone a glass of water. "Isabela doesn't seem happy with her marriage," Bruno commented. Julieta sighed, "I know, I know. Agustín and I have talked to her, but she is very stubborn. I have a feeling she's doing it to please mom," her mom said. It was the first time that she heard Bruno and Julieta speak civilly, like two brothers.
Mirabel felt sorry for Mariano, he may not have been the sharpest tool in the box, but Isabela was nothing but mean. They would be very unhappy. Suddenly, Antonio entered while he was carrying a clay pot that probably belonged to the inn where Mirabel used to have lunch.
"Doña Flor sent this to Mirabel. She said that it is light food and without seasoning to help Mirabel to recover her health "Antonio said as he put the clay pot on the table. "I'm going to serve that on a plate so you can eat it," Bruno said. "No" replied Mirabel, who was beginning to suspect her father as well. "I will serve it myself," she said. Bruno looked at her with concern, while an expression of triumph lit up her mother's face. At that moment the doorbell rang and Bruno ran to open it. "Mom," Mirabel said. "I was wondering if the two of us could talk, in private."
Julieta stared at her. She didn't look surprised, Julieta was probably waiting for this moment. "I already know what you want to talk about, and there is not much to say, but if you want, I can show you the reality," Julieta said. Mirabel did not understand. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "If you are ready tomorrow at five in the morning, I will take you and show you the truth," said Juliet.
Mirabel ate the rest of the food, and the next day, she prepared her breakfast herself, so when it was time to leave with Julieta, she felt stronger. They walked to the main square, where they met a couple of local muleteers. Her mother told her that she was going to visit a family with a sick boy who lived deep in the mountains. Julieta and Mirabel rode for several hours on horseback, crossing a rainforest, a river and a beautiful waterfall, until they finally arrived at poor and ugly little house in the middle of nowhere. The residents must have been at home, as smoke could be seen rising from the stone oven at the entrance.
"Good morning" greeted Julieta happily. "Good morning, Doña Julieta, blessed eyes that see you" said a small country woman who came out of the house to receive them, and to take care of the horses. The mountaineers who accompanied them stayed outside, while Mirabel and Julieta entered the house. Julieta took a couple of her baked goods and gave them to a little boy who was convalescing in bed.
Mirabel preferred to stay in the living room of the cabin. Suddenly, she saw an altar decorated with religious objects and flowers. There was a photo of a girl, very similar to her, brunette with short curly hair. "I met Mrs. Rosario seven months ago at the Encanto church," said Julieta. "She approached me after mass. Rosario told me that her son was very sick. She took him to the hospital in Santa Rita, the neighboring village, but no one had been able to cure him. There she was given my name and told to travel to Encanto. She was desperate, because her daughter died years ago, and she couldn't lose another".
"What does this have to do with my story?" Mirabel asked. "Ten years ago I was told that you were found dead at the bottom of the river two weeks after you disappeared. I ran to identify the body, which looked almost unrecognizable as the days passed. Mom and Agustín were sure it was you, because she was wearing your clothes, but I knew right away, she was another girl. everything about her was completely different from you, her hands, the shape of her face, that girl lacked a scar on her knee, and you have a birthmark on your toes" said her mom while Mirabel was surprised since all those details were true. Juliet knew her much better than she seemed.
"Everyone believed that I had lost my mind, because I was sick with sadness. I didn't want to get up, I wasn't even interested in using my gift. I couldn't cure anyone in a little less than a year. That girl had your dress, and she looked like you, but I knew, they were completely wrong. When I met Rosario and she told me her story, I knew her daughter was the girl who died in the river," said Julieta. "Rosario did not see her daughter again after she went to play in the river, one day after she disappeared, and she found her wrinkled clothes in a bush days later. Someone changed it. The dates are the same, the characteristics of the girl, there are too many coincidences "
"That's why you started looking for me?" Mirabel asked. "Yes," Julieta answered. "Agustín and I decided to do it in secret, because I have many doubts. I think someone in the town helped Bruno get away with it. Also, whenever I bring it up with mom, she acts like I am crazy. Seeking help from Agustín's mother was not easy. He has a pretty bad relationship with her. She hates me, and my two daughters too. She put up with you because you don't have a gift, but I knew I had to seek help outside the confines of Encanto," Julieta explained.
"I know you hate Encanto, but I cannot express in words how happy I am to see you again, to know that you are well, that you are not that poor and innocent girl drowned at the bottom of the river" said Julieta who could not repress a sob. Mirabel looked at her mom. Some time ago she heard someone say that suffering changed people, or rather, it created something like an alternative personality capable of dealing with those problems. Julieta was proof of that. Mirabel had seen her suffering in every step she took in Encanto.
Mirabel stood up and gave her mom a big hug. She might have decided to hate Encanto, but one thing was certain: at least her parents adored her, and her mom would do anything for her.
The trip back to Encanto was unclear as a dream. Mirabel had already made mental peace with her biological parents. However, she was left with Bruno. Who was her uncle Bruno in reality ? A loving father figure, concerned relative, or a ruthless killer? The sun was setting when Julieta and Mirabel got home. However, she was surprised to see Bruno at the entrance of the house. Something had broken between the two of them, and Mirabel couldn't see him in the same way as before.
"Agustín told me where you went," said Bruno who sounded desperate. "Are you worried about your so-called "daughter" finding out what kind of trash you really are?" Julieta asked. Bruno gave her a look full of hate. "Mirabel, you should know that I didn't do it, I didn't kill that girl" Bruno defended himself. "No?" Julieta asked, laughing bitterly. "If you're so sure, why don't you tell Mirabel what the investigators from Manizales said?" Bruno suggested.
"What did they say?" Mirabel asked. "This is not the place for that conversation" Julieta interrupted. "They said that I was to blame for your kidnapping, but I couldn't be guilty of the murder. That girl died days after your disappearance, when the two of us were on a train to Bogotá. My gift is to see the future, not to be in two places at the same time. They used a loophole to close the kidnapping case, and they let the grandmother get away with it, but they refused to close the girl's murder case, and I'm not a suspect, because I have the perfect alibi."
"If you didn't do it, then who?" Mirabel asked looking into his eyes. "I swear I don't know, my mariposita. Mirabel, please, you are the only thing I have left" answered Bruno. "But you have suspicions, and you don't want to tell me the truth, you have never wanted to tell me the truth, and that's why we find ourselves in this situation" Mirabel said furiously.
Mirabel entered the house not knowing what to think or who to believe, since nothing seemed to be real. Her life in Tocama was a fiction, her mother was not dead, her father was her uncle, she was not missing, but officially dead, everything in her life was a succession of lies, one after another, in a spiral that did not seem to end.
Hi everyone, I feel like a plagiarist. The letter from Alberto is not mine is loosely based on Carlos Vives song from 1997 called "que diera".