It was surprisingly fast and easy for Mirabel to find new clothes for everyone as she and Luisa went outside to look. At the first door they knocked and explained the situation. Immediately the woman living in the house just rushed back into the house and then returned with a whole bunch of clothes.
Those were mostly dresses though so Mirabel and Luisa turned to the next house and asked for male clothes specifically, they got two shirts out of it but not anything that seemed like it would fit any of the men in the house… Now that Mirabel thought about it none of them seemed to have an average size.
Her father was very tall, Tio Felix was short but broad and Bruno was just plainly small. Well… Bruno should be able to fit clothes meant for teenagers.
If Mirabel thought about it, Bruno seemed to be only slightly taller than Camilo who was fifteen. No doubt Camilo would be just as tall as Bruno in a year and then maybe taller. It was hard to tell. Camilo's father was short but his mother was tall.
And true enough soon enough Mirabel had clothes just in Bruno's size. Clothes that one of the younger men had grown out of some years ago.
They quickly returned to the Parish with a whole bunch of clothes, almost too much for even Luisa to carry and they put it all on one of the big tables for the family to sort through.
Though Mirabel fished out the appropriately sized shirt and trousers for her Tio so he didn't have to venture out if he wasn't up to it. And then as Mirabel stepped towards Bruno's room she found Pepa parked right outside the door.
Sitting on the floor with her knees up to her chest and leaning against the door frame.
"Erhm…" Mirabel halted. "So is that where you intend to sleep too or?"
"He's not going anywhere." That was all Pepa said.
Mirabel blinked. "What if he crawls out of the window?"
At that Pepa gasped. "He wouldn't dare!" and she jumped up, opened the door, and… There was Bruno just sleeping on the bed. Not having moved at all since Mirabel last left him.
"Tia Pepa." Mirabel sighed as she shook her head. "He's not going anywhere. Relax." and she stepped inside to put the clothes down on the nightstand before returning and closed the door.
"How much can that guy even sleep?" Camilo asked as he walked past them. "He slept all day already! I never get to just sleep all day."
"If you work ten years in a row fixing our house then I'm sure Tia Pepa is going to consider letting you sleep a whole day," Mirabel replied dryly. "You two. Meeting in the mess hall, thirty minutes. Meet up."
Pepa looked annoyed.
"Tio Bruno isn't going anywhere." Mirabel rolled her eyes. "You don't need to tie him to the bed."
"Meeting?" Camilo asked. "What for?" he asked and Mirabel sighed.
"We are going to do what this family should have done a long long time ago." Mirabel started. "We are going to talk. Be there," she instructed and Camilo and Pepa glanced at each other.
True enough half an hour after. The entire Madrigal family, except Bruno, was at the table. Even Agustin though his wife looked rather concerned.
There was tea, coffee, and biscuits too. Trying to make it all calming.
By the end of the table Alma was sitting, she was not alone though. Mirabel was right next to her.
"Right then!" Mirabel said. "This entire thing happened because we failed as a family," she said. "We are building a new foundation. And we are going to build a new house. But before that we gotta address all of these family issues!"
Camilo grimaced. "Do we have to?"
"Yes." Mirabel simply stated. "This is why we lost the magic in the first place! Keeping things to ourselves has driven this family apart. It even made our Tio live in the walls for ten years for god's sake!"
They all looked down at the table.
"Speaking of Bruno." Luisa hesitated. "Shouldn't he be here too?" she asked.
"He'll be here when he is ready," Alma said. "And I fear some of the things we have to talk about are about him."
They all nodded slowly.
"Okay then. I think our first order of issue is this. Isa." Mirabel said and they all turned to Isabel who looked down. "Isabel. I think there's something you need to tell everyone. Isn't there?"
Isabela sighed deeply and she looked up. "Yes," she said. "I don't want to marry Mariano!"
There was shocked silence as they all wide-eyed looked at her.
"What?" Pepa asked.
"Hija." Julieta gasped. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Everyone looked so happy!" Isabela exclaimed. "But it was all a big misunderstanding! I never even wanted to date him!"
"Did he do something wrong?" Alma asked concerned.
"No. He's always treated me really nicely. And I like him… As a friend." Isabela exclaimed. "We were just walking as friends. And everyone just assumed! And I didn't know how to say no! People were so excited and I just… It was so frustrating!" she exclaimed. "All of it has been so frustrating! I'm the oldest one. I get it. I need to set a good example. But do I have to always be smiling?" she asked. "I want to run in the street too! And climb trees! And wear clothes that are allowed to get dirty! My thing is plants and well… Plants aren't actually clean. They are filled with dirt! I like dirt! I like playing in dirt! And being outside! I would rather wear old clothes that can get dirty than those new nice dresses I have to be super careful about! And half the time I just want to SCREAM!" she grabbed her hair.
Everyone was wide-eyed looking at Isabela.
Then Mirabel reached over a hand and padded Isabela on the hand. "Very good. Very good Isabela. You're doing great."
"Hija." Agustin breathed. "You should have told us."
Wide-eyed Isabela looked up. "You're not mad?" she asked.
"No!" Agustin exclaimed. "I'm sad we allowed this to go on for so long! If you don't want to marry him then that's it."
"Nothing is more important to us than your happiness Isabela." Julieta nodded. "I'm so sorry if you have been unhappy."
"I am too." Alma nodded. "Mariano is such a fine young man. And I wanted to help Paula. As well did I know he would take good care of you. It all seemed to fit so perfectly."
"Except for the fact that… I just don't like him that way." Isabela whispered.
"I'm sorry," Alma said sincerely.
Isabela swallowed. "It's okay. I should have said something sooner."
And Mirabel grinned. "Great! Now that's out of the way. Luisa." she looked at her.
"What?" Luisa asked.
"It's okay. You can tell." Mirabel said. "Tell them what you told me."
Luisa shook her head. "I don't want to be a burden."
"Luisa," Julieta whispered putting a hand on her daughter's hand.
"I just don't like letting people down. You know?" Luisa asked. "Everyone is always counting on me! And I have to do a good job. But there's just… Sooooo much." she gasped. "It never stops!" she grabbed her head. "I grab the donkeys but then the church needs to be moved, I move the church but then a wall has started to collapse, I put the wall back up but then the river is flooding and I work and I work and there are always ten more things that need to be done! And I just… I think…. Just one more thing and I can call it a day. But then there's just one more. And one more." she gasped. "And there are ten things I am supposed to do. And I don't know which one to pick, because I know if I do one the others are going to really disappointed and I don't want to disappoint anybody! And I'm just.. I… I'm soooooo tired." she cried out loud. "I can't even sleep at night because I think of all the things I didn't do! And I feel so guilty you know." she cried out loud, tears now streaming down her face. "And I don't remember when I last just laid down. But then I remember that if I do that I'm not doing any of the things I should have been doing. I can't take anymore." and she broke together crying.
Isabela looked at her sister crying next to her, then padded Luisa in the shoulder.
"Why do I always have to look after other people's babies!" Camilo suddenly exclaimed. "They don't even pay me for it! Don't people normally get paid for babysitting other people's babies?" he asked. "I don't mind Antonio. He's my brother. But just random people in town? And I always have to smile and put on a big show and I just… Can't I just be left alone once in a while?!" he asked. "Why do I always have to be everyone else's entertainment?"
"I thought you liked entertaining people." Isabela blinked.
"I do like entertaining people," Camilo said. "But not all the time! It's exhausting." he grabbed his face.
"I hate when people ask me questions and then get mad when I give them an honest answer," Dolores informed. "And it happens all the time."
"I can't control my emotions!" Pepa exclaimed. "That's not how it works Mama! You keep shushing me and telling me to calm down. But sorry, for the last ten years I have been pretty upset because my brother was missing! And I had no idea what had happened to him. Yes, I was stressed out! What do you think? And you never let me just… Let it out!"
"There there." Felix held his wife's hand. Patting it. "Let it out now Mi Amor."
Alma looked utterly heartbroken. "I am so sorry," she whispered. "I never meant to cause such suffering to my family," she said. "I just… I wanted everything to be perfect. To be good." she said and she glanced down. "It is a lifetime ago now. Julieta, Pepita and Brunito were just babies but still… It haunts me at night," she said. "I watched people die," she admitted as she looked up. "In front of my eyes. They were alive and then they weren't… I watched Pedro die. And I… The thought of that ever happening again. To any of you." she looked around. "It terrifies me…. I believed that… The magic was the one thing making sure that wouldn't happen. That's why it needed to be strong. So you would die but… I was wrong." she swallowed. "It wasn't the magic that was important. It was you," she said. "All of you."
Mirabel smiled gently as she put a hand on Alma's shoulder. "As you can all hear we have a lot to talk about," she said not letting go of her shoulder. "And we have to talk about Bruno too," she said. "Not talking about him was a mistake."
They all nodded solemnly.
"So yeah." Mirabel removed her hand from Alma and folded them on the table. "He never actually left. He was in the house."
"He left for a little while," Dolores spoke up. "The first month he really was gone. But then he came back… But at that point, we had stopped searching and talk about him. And Mama told me to keep quiet when I mentioned his name."
They looked at Dolores.
"So you heard him?" Julieta asked. "Every day?"
"I did." Dolores nodded. "He always moved pretty predictably. He rose up from bed at the same time we did. His room was right behind our family tree in the dining room."
They all gasped.
Mirabel nodded. "Yeah, I saw it and… You know that crack low on the family tree? He could see through it." she admitted. "He could see us at the table."
"I did think that may be the case." Dolores nodded. "He always ate meals at the same time we did and said prayers with us all," she said. "After breakfast, he would go away and be… All around the place. I suppose that's when he would fix cracks. Sometimes he would sleep in the afternoon until dinner." she said. "Oh and he always washed and cleaned things on Wednesdays and he always washed himself before eating!" she said.
Camilo shuddered. "I'm sorry. I know he's our Tio. But to hear he was living in the walls and… Watching us. That's kind of creepy."
"It wasn't like that." Mirabel sighed deeply. "He was trying to protect us and well… You saw how the entire town was ready to lynch him the moment they saw him." she looked down. "I remember now. When I was little… We went to town and… Everyone was just starring at him and avoiding him like the plague… Then the goldfish happened and they all just blamed him. He did nothing wrong. It was awful. He actually tried to warn her and she just cried and ran away."
Dolores nodded. "People don't like being told what they don't want to hear. They always like asking… But then when they aren't told what they want to hear. They always god mad… It's really hard knowing things you are not supposed to know. And I suppose one thing is things that have already been said, people can't deny that. But things that are in the future so people don't even understand it? That's entirely different."
They all looked at Dolores.
"Tio and I used to talk about it," Dolores admitted. "He was the only one who took me seriously. Because I was ten so… People didn't think I knew what I was talking about. Tio always listened though. And he didn't sugarcoat it… I'm glad he didn't. It really helped me to learn how to handle it." she glanced down.
"He…" Julieta hesitated. "He always carried the burden of those visions," she said. "And what to tell people and what not to tell… I remember when we were young. When he found his first rat." she closed his eyes. "I asked him what the big deal was about the rat and… You know what he told me?"
They were all silent.
"He said that he could talk to the rat… Tell it about any vision and it wouldn't get mad. And that was nice." Julieta sighed. "I told him he didn't need a rat for that. He could tell me and he just looked at me and… Told me that of course I wouldn't mean to get mad or disappointed. That I was probably going to try and hide it but it would happen and the worst part is… I knew he was right." she sighed. "He doesn't control what he sees! I know he doesn't. And even I can't help but get annoyed when he tries to tell me about these things. But it's so unfair that he has to carry all of that all alone." she shook his head. "I kind of hate how he didn't even blame me for it. He just accepted it as a fact... And I didn't know what to do. So… That's why I insisted to Mama that he got to keep the rat."
"It's a very humbling gift." Dolores nodded. "And everyone in town got someone to blame for their own misfortune. I heard them… Every single day. Both before and after he left." she said as she looked up. "I heard them… Talking about past events and how it was Tio's fault though he had nothing to do with it. I even heard them after he went away and still blamed him. It was easy I suppose I mean… he wasn't there to talk back and people had someone that was easy to blame." she chewed her lip. "I wonder for just how long it had gone on."
"Well." Isabela glanced down. "Our lives all changed... When we were five."
There was silence, a stunned sad silence.
Especially Alma looked just heartbroken.
Dolores nodded. "He did seem pretty used to it... Resigned to it actually. Like it was just a fact of life."
"The truth is." Pepa looked down. "Your Tio has…. Some issues." she swallowed. "But they aren't new. They are worse now than before but even back then…. He." she squinted her eyes. "He was slipping away. Slowly… There was a time he used to joke and laugh and sing with all of us and then it just… became less and less. Until he was gone."
"We didn't support him when we should have." Julieta sighed. "He decided to carry it all alone… And… Lost his way… He saw things that people probably aren't meant to see and didn't want to burden any of us with his visions. So he walked alone instead. In a town where everyone hated him and ganged up on him." she looked sad. "I regretted every day that I didn't do more to insist that he share… He... He carried it all alone. So we wouldn't have to worry."
"I know what that feels like." Luisa swallowed. "But even then... When I was afraid of disappointing people. I knew they didn't hate me."
Pepa sighed deeply. "I wish he would be mad at us," she admitted. "But he won't be. Bruno was never like that…. Again. Trying to carry the burden alone so he wouldn't disappoint anyone."
"This time we won't let him." Alma shortly said and Mirabel smirked amused.
"I erhm..." Dolores bit her lip. "I heard... People scream at Tio Bruno. In the Encanto. When I was little. Before e left... They would scream at his face. That he brought a curse to the town and... He should go away. He didn't talk back to them. He didn't say anything. He didn't even try to defend himself... He just let them scream until they were done and then walked away. I tried to talk to him when he came back but.. He told me not to worry about it and that it wasn't the first time."
Again there was silence. Alma's eyes were misty.
"He even..." Dolores chewed her lip. "Got hit one time... And he... Never fought back... Or said anything. I tried to ask but he said I shouldn't bring it up. Cause... The family didn't need to worry about him."
"How many things..." Pepa whispered in a broken voice. "How many things do you think he went through. He didn't tell us about?" she asked Julieta.
"Too many." Julieta shook his head. "He didn't want to burden us."
"And he didn't want me to go through the same thing." Mirabel closed her eyes. "He knew about the cracks in the house. They were from before I was even born... And he knew that if anyone saw his vision. They would blame me for those cracks... That's why he left. Once again he tried to shoulder it all alone."
Camilo swallowed, clearly startled.
Mirabel closed her eyes then looked at her cousin. "Do you understand a little better now Camilo?" She asked.
"Yeah." Camilo glanced away. "It's hard to imagine but… I… I was part of those stories too. People always told them about Tio Bruno and I thought they were funny. Like… Cool ghost stories you know? So I went along with it. I didn't really think he could hear them." he looked up. "I'm really sorry."
Mirabel smirked. "He's not even mad. He probably should be but he isn't." she rolled her eyes. "You should hang out with him sometime. I think you two have more in common than you think."
Camilo frowned. "How?" he asked.
"Well… Let's put it this way." Mirabel tapped her chin. "I admit. You're the better actor," she said. "But he's the better author."
"Oh definitely!" Dolores just perked up. "His telenovelas are better than those in television! His are funny!"
"What?" Everyone turned to Dolores.
"Oh he made his own telenovelas behind the walls in the evening." Dolores happily chatted. "When he has panic attacks he works on Telenovas too, that's what he keeps mumbling about. Oh or sometimes stories about Hernando. They are super fun! You would love those Camilo."
Isabela gasped. "I remember Hernando," she stated. "Hernando was great!"
"He feared nothing!" Luisa grinned. "But also he was really stupid so he got into all sorts of trouble"
"Oooooh. That's Hernando." Mirabel blinked. "He put on a hood to make us laugh. Riiiiight."
Camilo snapped a finger. "That's true. He did do that didn't he?" he asked and then pulled up his own hood. "I am Hernando and I fear nothing!" he proclaimed.
"Yes. YES!" Isabela cheered happily. "Just like that!"
"I want to learn more about Hernando." Antonio gasped.
"I'm sure Tio Bruno will be more than happy to tell you." Mirabel chuckled. "When he's rested and ready."
"Oh, he did it for us too." Pepa chuckled. "Whenever I was upset. Play a character! Even when we were adults."
"He always brought a smile to our faces." Julieta smiled amused.
"Absolutely." Felix beamed happily. "Remember that time when Julieta dropped a bag of flour on Bruno and he proclaimed he was a ghost. That killed me man! It was so funny."
Julieta laughed into her hand. "Did he have to grab me though? Then we both got covered in flour!"
"It was amazing!" Pepa laughed and then shook her head. "That fool…. He was always more concerned with our happiness than his own well being." she looked down. "Well… I guess we have to be concerned for his well being when he won't be," she smirked.
Julieta nodded determinedly.
"We already got six children combined. What is another one really?" Pepa asked.
Alma chuckled amused. "It's good to see you looking out for your brother," she said.
"Of course!" Pepa proclaimed. "He always looked out for us! It's called returning the favor!"
Julieta nodded.
Mirabel grinned. "See! Talking about Bruno was a good thing," she stated and they could all only nod in agreement. Now having reached a better understanding of the situation and what to do.
Fond memories and feelings were good as well. He wasn't just a stranger that popped up out of nowhere. He was a piece of the family that belonged with them! That was for certain.
