It's really all about the pickled potatoes, but there's a caterpillar in there somewhere - I am so very tired.
Where Tios come from
Antonio was watching Casita being rebuilt from the safety of a nearby tree. Trees were always the best spots to watch the folk's work. He was kind of looking forward to seeing how his room would turn out. He looked away from the construction and saw a caterpillar munching on the leaves of a bush below him. He wondered what color it would be when it grew up. Tío Bruno asked him if he wanted anything special on his walls. Antonio's morning had been made up of him and his Tío drawing what he thought his room should look like. Tío colored and painted without complaint until Antonio started yawning. Tío was fun, his rats didn't leave him when the house broke so Antonio got to play with them as well. His Mamí was not a fan of Tío's rats but she just ignored them.
When his Mamí came in with lunch she looked at the drawing and ruffled his hair and smiled at Tío. "That's going to be quite the undertaking, Tonito," she said putting down the plate of sandwiches.
"Tío, says it'll be a snap!"
"Oh, well if Tío says it, it must be true then," she tilted her head and looked over at him. "Now eat, then it's time for a nap."
"I'm not tired," Antonio said accidentally yawning.
"Of course, you're not. What sensible person would need to nap?" She said and pushed the plate in his direction.
"Should I go?" Tío Bruno asked.
"No, you should stay and eat a sandwich," she said looking him up and down and added, "or ten.
"I'm not actually hungry," he said.
"Of course, you're not…eat it anyway and make your sister happy."
Something clicked and Antonio asked, "Tío is your brother?"
His Mamí smiled and tilted her head. She grabbed Tío's chin and said, "That's right, Tonito he's my baaaaby brother."
Antonio giggled and realized something else, "So that means Tía Julieta is your sister?"
His Mamí's eyes went a little wide and she released Tío's chin when Tío said, "Yes, your Mamí is her baaaaby sister."
Antonio giggled again as he picked up the pickled potato sandwich and took a bite and smiled, so good. "You should try this Tío," Antonio said with a mouth full of food he pushed the plate toward him.
His Mamí gave him a look and Tío just sighed the way Camilo did when his Mamí looked at him that way. He picked it up and ate it in three bites. His mother threw her hands up, shook her head and left the room.
Antonio was amazed that his Tío hadn't choked on all the food in his mouth. Once his mother was out of the room, Tío stopped chewing, swallowed and brought his hand up from under the table. He still had his sandwich with only one really big bite taken out of it. Antonio was about to shout when his Tío waved his free hand said, "This is just a bit of magic between you and me, sobrino," and they laughed as they finished their lunch.