[Chap 3: the resolution]
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"Would you like to have a cigar with your drink, Don Bruno?" Asked the owner of the town bar.
"Yes, of course, why not," Bruno replied happily as he took it and turned it on.
Bruno breathed in the cigar smoke exactly three times and turned it over, just as the palenquera on the Atlantic coast had indicated when she taught him to read the future through tobacco smoke. Usually, he did not use that ability since it was part of one of his many secrets, but the visit of that young man from the capital in the afternoon made him feel uneasy about the future.
Ironically, Bruno knew that the cure was often worse than the disease, as his predictions were plagued with false doors and visions that led nowhere, as well as uncertain destinations that no one wanted to hear. But still, he let the smoke dance in front of him as he took a couple of puffs on his cigar. He opened his eyes, and saw disjointed scenes from the future, and it was just as he had expected: far more troublesome than living in the shadows of uncertainty.
"I raise the bet to a peso, if I hit the frog with a hundred points,"said Camilo, who was with his friends a couple of tables away.
The voice of his nephew brought him back to reality. The both were spending the evening in one of the two cantinas in town. The cloudy air of tobacco smoke and the strong smell of anise from the aguardiente, were capable of lulling anyone to sleep. However, his nephew remained happily playing the frog game with his friends.
"Roberto," Camilo said as he pushed a skinny boy to the front. His nephew handed him a metal disc and asked: "Have you played Rana?"
"No".
"What do you mean not?" Camilo asked surprised "everyone has played Rana, it seems you have lived under a stone. Are you fresh out of the mountain?.
"Actually, if I am a mountaineer, and yes I am fresh out of the mountain" replied the boy cheekily so the others laughed.
"Well, well" said Camilo as he tried to extinguish the laughter "the thing is like this: you throw the iron disk to get it into one of the holes of the box, if it falls into the mouth of one of the two iron frogs, you earn the most points. Of course, it is impossible to get the frog right on your first try.
Roberto threw, and hit one of the frogs, the least valuable.
"Beginner's luck," said Camilo who then took a gulp of his drink.
Bruno watched the scene from his table. He did not understand how that person, so nice and well adjusted, was part of his family. Camilo was kind and loved by a large part of the town, he seemed to be an independent and self-confident person, despite his powers might indicate otherwise. Bruno wondered where this boy had come from, since there were only two classes of people in the Madrigal family: temperamental neurotics or chronic pleasers.
"He must have inherited it from his father," Bruno thought.
"Uncle Bruno," Dolores called him. Bruno watched her carefully. She was tired, it was clear she had been running and she seemed very worried.
"What's going on? Are you well? Did you find out something important?" Bruno asked her as he settled into the chair.
"It has nothing to do with our task. I need your help, I think something is wrong with Mirabel, she is behaving very weird, she trusts you, she will surely listen to you" she said. Bruno understood, the vision from a few minutes ago was beginning to take shape. He got up, put the money on the table, and left with his niece.
"What happened?" Bruno asked as the two advanced towards the casita at the top of the town. Dolores told him what happened after the boy from the capital had left the house, and she told him Mirabel's words one by one in a very specific way.
"I'm afraid she is going to do something foolish," said Dolores. Bruno didn't answer, but he understood her fear, for Mirabel had already been lost in the mountain for a couple of days shortly after the candle went out.
"Don't worry, we'll find her," replied Bruno, who wanted to convey a bit of calmness, even though he felt very scared.
They decided to enter the house and look for the family, since they could help them to look for Mirabel. The sense of urgency was great, as the concern. However, Dolores and Bruno were surprised to find Julieta's family sitting quietly in the company of his mom in the living room, including Mirabel.
Bruno saw all of Julieta's family around her youngest daughter, including Isabela who was holding hands with her sister in a comforting gesture.
"What's going on? Why are you so agitated?" Alma asked.
"Mirabel" Dolores said annoyed "I've been looking everywhere for you.
"I'm sorry, I was upset, but I'm fine, everything is fine," Mirabel said, giving her a smile.
Bruno couldn't determine why, but those words were just lies. Through his gift he could clearly see some kind of fire inside Mirabel. She behaved differently, he could feel it, but he didn't know exactly what this meant.
Dinner passed calmly, the only detail that affected the evening was the absence of Camilo, who was probably still playing with his friends.
"Mirabel, go with Antonio to find Camilo," said his mom.
"Yes ma'am" they both agreed before leaving the dining room.
"Mirabel" Bruno called her before they left "he is in Mario Dominguez's restaurant playing rana" he continued, while trying to hide the fact that he was in a bar, but judging by the sound of thunder, hisplan didn't work.
"Camilo is in a tavern playing Rana? - Pepa asked annoyed.
"Pepi, my dear" Felix intervened. "The boy is young, he is 19 years old, and in this town there are not many places to have fun".
"Please hurry up and tell Camilo that his mother is waiting for him, Mirabel," Pepa said more calmly, although Bruno knew problems awaited his nephew.
Once Mirabel and Antonio left, the atmosphere in the room changed completely.
"Grandma, Mirabel is not well, you must have heard her, she said terrible things to me" Dolores began" I think she wants to leave Encanto. She is too upset, if she leaves it will be for the wrong reasons." She said, Hearing these words, Alma intertwined her fingers on the table and said:
"She told us the same thing".
"Mirabel is just a little tired. She would like to leave Encanto, I don't think it is a bad idea. Of course, it is her first broken heart, and at that age everything feels more intensely" said Isabela.
"This is not a simple love disappointment. You didn't listen to Mirabel, I did. She is really upset, if we let her go like this the cracks in the house will not take long to appear." Dolores said.
The family fell silent at the warning. Bruno couldn't blame them, as the prospect of losing his powers again was the equivalent to losing an eye or an arm.
"Don't be exaggerated, Lola," Felix said trying to calm them all, "she only needs to get out of the house for a few days. I propose to send her with my family to the Pacific coast. She has never been to the beach, so a little fresh air might be good for her.
"The sea?" Dolores asked, annoyed "it's a bad idea dad, she could take the first boat and leave the country at the first opportunity. She is so upset that she wouldn't hesitate twice".
"Actually," Agustín intervened, "Julieta and I thought about sending her to Bogotá to live with my mother for a few months. My mom adores Mirabel, and the two of them write letters to each other frequently, she might travel to visit her. Mom would be delighted to live with her.
"Very good idea," said Felix.
"That's an excellent idea" said Alma "Julia is not my favorite person, but she loves Mirabel, she will be safe with her" she concluded, so everyone except Dolores and Bruno nodded.
"If they do, Mirabel will refuse to come back, I know it," Dolores insisted.
"Why are you so pessimistic, Dolores?" Isabela asked. "Mirabel needs to leave this town, and I, her sister, am willing to support her".
"It would be the first time," said Dolores, unable to contain herself.
"Dolores," Pepa intervened as a warning.
"Excuse?" Isabela asked, as she wanted to hear her cousin.
"Please, Isabela. You never have been close. You don't know Mirabel like Luisa or I do. She has always had it more difficult, you do not know anything".
Isabela did not hesitate to let Dolores know that maintaining the level of "perfection" expected of her was completely exhausting. Bruno tried to understand her, but it was difficult to relate to someone who complained about being too perfect.
"You've told me about your own problems, but you haven't told me anything about your sister," Dolores insisted.
"Stop, Dolores" Pepa said again.
"On second thought, you're right, Mirabel has told you about her secrets, the problem is we all know you can't keep your mouth shut.
"Isabela! "Julieta exclaimed alarmed.
"Stop!" Grandma intervened, slapping the table with the palm of her hand.
"Grandma" Dolores began "I think we should talk to Mirabel before letting her go. I don't know what she told all of you, or how she managed to convince you, but what I saw was completely different. She is not well".
"Well" agreed his mom, "I am going to leave this decision in the hands of her parents, but I would like to hear from all of you".
"I think she should leave Encanto for a few days, and rest," said Felix calmly.
"I agree," Pepa said as she took her husband's hand.
"We also agree," Agustín said after giving his wife a look.
"Me too," Isabela said, annoyed.
" Luisa?" Asked Alma since she had not said a word since the talk began.
"I ... I'm not so sure" Luisa said, so everyone looked at her.'' During Easter Sunday we had a discussion. She was quite upset, and I don't think I was the reason. Maybe Dolores is right".
"Of course I do," Dolores intervened, happy to see someone finally supporting her.
"Obviously, I don't want her to go," said Dolores. Bruno took a long breath of air, for it was time to make a decision.
"I don't think Mirabel should travel either" said Bruno "it is clear she was very convincing, but there is something about her, something I cannot describe. Dolores is right, the problem is not that she leaves, the real problem is if she does it with so much anger. If things continue like this, the cracks could return. Knock on wood" he concluded, as he hit the table with his fist, to prevent his words from becoming predictions.
"Okay" Dolores said "I accept it, we are a minority, and her parents have the decision, but we could send her on a shorter trip, a couple days at most, so she can return quickly".
"What do you suggest?" Asked Alma.
"We could send her to pick up the fabrics for my wedding dress, those will arrive at the port of Honda in a couple of weeks, it's a trip that won't take more than five days," said Dolores.
"It is not necessary for her to go, Don Ignacio and his boys always take care of it. She will immediately realize something is wrong" said Isabela who was clearly still resentful.
"Not necessarily" said Alma "I have taught Mirabel everything I know about fabrics, if anyone could review them it is her".
"That's a good idea, mom," Julieta intervened. "She can go away for a few days, and feel useful at the same time".
"Well, then, it's a fact, Mirabel will travel in a few weeks," said Agustín, satisfied with the resolution.
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"Your mom is going to kill you," Mirabel told Camilo as he was still playing Rana.
"Bah… it doesn't matter, if I'm already in trouble, it better be worth it," Camilo answered.
"Do you want to stay and play with us?" Camilo asked Mirabel and Antonio.
"Yes!" Antonio answered happily.
"No!" Mirabel answered "this is a bar, in a couple of hours it will be full of drunks. Antonio is nine years old, forget it".
"Come on, we're not even drinking alcohol, we're just eating and playing," Camilo said. Suddenly, Don Mario arrived carrying a tray full of salty plantain fritters, meat cut into small pieces, and sauce. As well as a jug of panela water with lemon. Seeing all that food, Antonio's eyes lit up.
"Mirabel" he said as he took her arm tightly "please stay".
"You already had dinner, surely you are not hungry" Mirabel answered, trying to dissuade her little cousin.
"But I have not eaten this precise food. My mom made me eat the vegetable soup" Antonio complained
"Okay," she replied, rolling her eyes.
"I just want an answer: How did you pay for all this?" Mirabel asked suspiciously.
"Ah, yes, that, " Camilo began laughing as he approached Mirabel so no one would hear them. "Don Mario is part of the municipal council, but he hates going to meetings, so "someone" has impersonated him in exchange for benefits and free food.
"You are terrible," said Mirabel, who sat at one of the tables in the company of Camilo's friends.
Later, Camilo took his brother away and began teaching him the proper way to throw the disk. At that moment, Mirabel noticed the presence of Roberto who was sitting right next to her. It was the first time they had seen each other since their fateful meeting in the monastery garden, so he lowered his gaze from her, and prepared to leave.
"Roberto, wait," Mirabel called him before he could get up.
"I thought you would want me to leave," Roberto replied as he returned to his chair slowly.
"I didn't know you liked spending time with my cousin and his friends, I thought you preferred to be alone" Mirabel said.
"Of course not," Roberto denied. " I have eight siblings, I always have work at home, I can hardly ever go down to town, but when I do, Camilo always invites me to go out".
"Hey, about the other day," Mirabel said as the palms of her hands began to get wet, "I think I owe you an apology, I shouldn't have yelled at you, you were just trying to warn me, like many others did".
"I hope you are well, I heard he is leaving Encanto tonight" Roberto said.
"I don't feel sad. I knew it was something temporary, something fun, and nothing more" Mirabel replied giving him a nervous laugh.
"Are you sure you're okay, Mirabel?" Roberto asked looking into her eyes "I would understand you if you feel sad. After all, I am under the impression that your life is somewhat complicated ...
"Mirabel" Camilo said interrupting their conversation "it's your turn, let's see how good your arm is".
Mirabel got up from her chair without really meaning to. She wanted to ask him what he was talking about. No one in Encanto would have dared to suggest that one of the Madrigals had a complicated life. They were one of the richest families in town, not to mention the power of their gifts. She didn't know if she should be offended or not.
"Very good Mirabel, fifty points and it's only your first try, I want you on my team" Camilo said after she threw the disc.
Mirabel, Camilo, and Antonio left the bar a little before midnight. Camilo wasn't the only one in trouble. She did not have the courage to face Roberto again, since she was scared to hear what he had to say.
"It's midnight," Pepa said as the three cousins passed the threshold of the house. "Camilo Madrigal, you spent the whole afternoon in a dirty bar, but you also dragged your brother and your cousin with you." Her aunt continued as she began to rain inside the courtyard of the Madrigal house.
"We didn't do anything wrong, we only played Rana, we ate patacones and meat. I swear we didn't drink alcohol" Camilo defended himself.
"Nothing, a bar is not a place for your cousin and your brother, and neither for you" Pepa said while she thundered loudly.
"Uncle Bruno" Camilo shouted to Bruno who was watching the scene at the top of the balcony, while his mother dragged him by the collar of his shirt to his room "you sold me".
"I tried to cover it up, but your mother it's faster than me," Bruno answered.
Mirabel took a couple of steps in the direction of her room when Bruno intercepted her.
"You and I have to talk now," he said, clearly annoyed. Mirabel remembered he had come home with Dolores, surely she would have told him the truth.
"I'm sorry Bruno, but I'm very tired, today has been a long day" said Mirabel "Couldn't wait until tomorrow?" She asked.
"No, it can't wait until tomorrow," Bruno insisted.
Mirabel walked with him to her room. She sat on her bed and waited for a reprimand as a child would do.
"Dolores thinks you are very upset" said Bruno "she is under the impression that you will leave abruptly and full of anger.
"I don't know what she is talking about, I don't …"
"I think so too, I see in you the same fire I felt in me just before leaving," said Bruno.
"You never left, you never left Encanto" Mirabel replied
"Ten years is a long time," Bruno commented as he sat on the bed next to her. "How can you be so sure I spent all of them locked up in this house?"
"You left?" Asked Mirabel.
"I need you to swear complete silence. You must not repeat to anyone what I have told you" said Bruno. Mirabel frowned. Of course, her uncle was a mysterious man, but this was scaring her.
"When I disappeared, I had many questions" he said "I spent the first months living in this house, but I could not believe that this was our only option. The cracks kept getting bigger and bigger. I left here, feeling desperate".
"How did you get out of here?" Mirabel asked "this town is small, someone had to know".
"Surely a couple of people noticed, and that's why the rumor of my departure spread," Bruno admitted, " I did not use the services of the local arrieros. I rode to Santa Rita, my journey began there" Bruno continued referring to the neighboring town.
"I traveled to both coasts, to the Pacific, and to the Atlantic on the west. I traveled to the plains on the east, the desert on the north and the jungle on the south, and I still did not find an answer to our dilemma. I even went to the capital, but the only thing I got there was charity and the advice to buy me a suit and get a job." Bruno continued "I found in the Jungle the closest thing to an answer".
"What did they tell you?" Asked Mirabel who felt her throat dry and her heart racing for her anticipation.
"There is a legend of a serpent river. The river provides everything the human needs, but if the river gets angry with the human, the serpent will eat them" Bruno concluded "I made a seven-day trip to that remote place in the middle of the jungle, I had dysentery and malaria while I was there, and that was the only thing I could get, a pointless legend".
"Have you thought about the meaning of this legend?" Mirabel asked.
"Many times, it's pointless. As much as I reflect on that legend, it doesn't make any sense, since the house has never turned against us, we were the ones who are destroying the house" said Bruno.
"You're right," Mirabel agreed.
"I am telling you this so you can understand my trips were in vain, and if you leave without a specific objective, yours will be too" said Bruno.
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The next morning Mirabel took her place at the breakfast table. The climate in the room felt strange, literally, as Pepa had a cloud. Dolores and Isabela looked at each other from different ends of the table with resentment, Antonio looked like he was missing a few hours of sleep, and her grandmother behaved as if she were juggling a bomb about to explode. .
"Mirabel" her grandmother began as everyone finished breakfast "How is your knowledge about fabrics? As sharp as ever? " She asked.
"Yes ma'am, I think so" said Mirabel "why?"
"We would like you to travel to Honda's port to receive the fabrics for Dolores wedding dress. Your parents think that you need a trip, and frankly, I think that you are the most qualified person to do it. If the fabrics arrive at Encanto and they are not of good quality, we will have no choice but to accept them" said her grandma.
Mirabel hesitated for a few seconds, and she wondered when they had come to that conclusion. After all, the last time she spoke about her issue with her parents they agreed to send her to the capital for several months to live with her other grandmother. However, Alma rarely ordered anything from her personally, because she was not useful at all, so that was quite an event.
"Yes ma'am," Mirabel agreed cheerfully, so she felt little less than a breath of general relief.
"The question is: When will it be wise to make this trip? as I understand, the ship has to be in port no later than a month," her grandmother asked.
"It can't wait that long" Camilo intervened, as everyone looked at him in surprise "the municipal council of the town thinks that according to the state of the crops, the coffee pickers should be arriving in just over a month. You know once the harvest begins, all efforts will be directed to the coffee, as anything is important as the coffee. There will be no transportation available. If Mirabel wants to travel, she has to do it soon.
Everyone was silent for a few moments, as this comment was completely anticlimactic to Camilo's personality.
"How do you know that?" Pepa asked.
"It is in the municipal council's bulletin, you should read it from time to time, it is our civic duty as inhabitants of Encanto" Camilo explained. Mirabel knew immediately he had overheard this at the meetings in which he impersonated as Don Mario, the owner of the bar.
"You're right dear", her Grandmother agreed "in that case, it would be best if Mirabel leaves in three weeks".
"It's good to know everything ended up well, I hadn't had time to think about my marriage with all that newcomers drama and investigation," Dolores said without realizing it.
"What do you mean by that?" Isabela asked maliciously
"N-Nothing." Dolores answered while she gave her grandma a look full of nervousness. Alma Madrigal took a long breath and decided to speak.
"I would prefer to remain silent, but the truth is that neither Bruno nor I trusted the government agents. I asked Bruno and Dolores to use their powers to follow them. Mirabel became friends with one of them, so we thought we could use that relationship to find out more.
"Mom!" Julieta said.
"Nothing happened. Dolores did not hear anything incriminating, and Bruno did not obtain a prophecy about them".
"Doña Alma, if they had turned out to be criminals that could have endangered Mirabel. They dated for weeks, he could have done something to her" Agustín claimed Alma.
"But he didn't, and they were all unfounded fears," answered her grandmother.
Mirabel watched Bruno and Dolores, both of them avoiding her gaze. She felt like an idiot. Her uncle and her cousin had always acted as trustworthy people, but now it was clear she couldn't trust anyone in this house.
"Excuse me" Mirabel said sternly as she left the table.
"Isabela, you are a viper" she heard Dolores murmur "you did it intentionally".
"Stop it, you two!" Her grandmother practically roared.
She walked slowly into her bedroom where she slid one of the floorboards under her bed. Mirabel took a cookie tin and opened it. Those were her savings after doing multiple sewing jobs over the years. She was saving all that money to buy her sewing machine, but she ended up receiving it as a birthday present.
The decision of her parents to send her to receive the fabrics for Dolores's dress was a problem. Mirabel wanted to live with her paternal grandmother, whom she called Grandmother Julia. At that moment, Mirabel remembered her single visit to the capital, it happened a couple of weeks after her door had not appeared. Bruno had disappeared, and her grandmother was in a very bad mood, so Julieta and Agustín decided to take her out of that toxic environment.
Agustín and Julieta traveled with her all the way to Bogotá, although her mother returned to Encanto in a couple of days. Mirabel remembered the day she met her grandmother Julia, she was not very different from Alma Madrigal, she looked like the city version of her, with her long fashionable dresses, leather shoes and fine jewelry. According to his mother, his father was not part of an exaggeratedly wealthy family, but it was clear that they lacked nothing, since they had a couple of agricultural goods stores and two houses in Chapinero neighborhood, at that time, one of the most elegant places in the capital.
Her grandmother Julia became obsessed with her, as well as her aunts, uncles and cousins, they saw in her a great project. It was said that she would be turned from being a little mountaineer to being a lady. Mirabel, who was still upset with her grandmother Alma, decided to play along with her grandmother Julia. However, the joy did not last long, as Mirabel fell ill a few months after arriving there.
Alma Madrigal practically ordered Julieta to go and get her. This was the closest thing to a family breakdown, as Agustín insisted she should stay in the Capital and receive the best medical treatments. Finally, her grandmother had her way and Mirabel returned to Encanto, where after a few weeks, she was cured under the care of her mother.
Her grandmother Julia did not forget that, and she took it as a serious personal offense. She decided to visit her granddaughters twice a year. However, Julia refused to set foot in Encanto, the closest she had come was to the best hotel in the city of Manizales. Her grandmother also refused to see Julieta, as in her opinion, her gifts to her were nothing more than a wicked witchcraft.
Despite the above, it would have been very beneficial for Mirabel to arrive at her grandmother's house, as she wanted to start a new life. However, Dolores's intervention had ruined her plan.
"Mirabel" Isabela called her from the other side of the door "Can I come in?"
"Yes, wait a second," said Mirabel, who hid her savings. She opened the door and met her sister.
"Are you ok?" Isabela asked.
"Yeah right".
"That's not true. I just want you to be happy," Isabela answered as she closed the door of the room and gave her sister a warm hug.
Mirabel remembered Isabela also had been one of her grandmother's tools, she had been used during the whole Mariano affair, and this mutual understanding only made her love her even more. Mirabel returned her hug tightly, and she thought she was really going to miss her when she left.
Hi everyone, thanks for reading, the whole deal with the underage cousins on a bar playing innocently and getting grounded for life is slightly based on real events, jejeje.