One last chapter of shorts before we finish this off.
I had a number of requests and suggestions that I liked but I felt like anything I would make with them would be too short on its own.
Bonding
Becoming a stepparent was definitely not easy.
Diana was a little firecracker with a short fuse. It didn't take much to make her lose her temper. She was kind of like Tía Pepa in that regard and sometimes that was more of a curse than a blessing. Things got slightly better after she married Hector and Diana got her gift, but there was still this distance between them.
"It's not easy, filling that role," Tío Felix told her upon hearing her worries.
They were talking in the dining room. Most of the family was already asleep, but she hadn't been able to nod off like everyone else after having a small argument with Diana that had ended with the girl screaming one phrase that had made Luisa's heart hurt.
You're not my mother!
She wasn't. She knew she wasn't Diana's mother, but… she hoped things were getting better. Apparently not, because now Diana was in trouble for being rude and upsetting Luisa and Luisa couldn't sleep.
"How did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Be a father to Mirabel. I mean, she had five years with Tío Bruno and, and… she was able to call you Papí so quickly, and… I just want her to see me as someone who can fill that role in her life the way Mirabel did with you!"
"I think you're misremembering, burrita. It wasn't that simple."
"What do you mean?"
"It took several months for Mirabel to reach that point with me. She was hurting a lot back then and Bruno being gone made it so much more difficult. I wasn't trying to replace him but she did think I was. You didn't see that part because you were busy with work."
Luisa swallowed. That made sense.
"Stepping into the role of a parent—especially one who was so beloved by the child—isn't easy. There's going to be more screaming and more fighting with Diana, I'm afraid."
"You didn't have that with Mirabel."
"Yes, well, Mirabel isn't as hot-tempered as your little petardo. She isn't one to start arguments."
"That's true enough. Is there anything I can do to make it… easier?"
Felix sat back in his chair slightly.
"I taught Mirabel how to play the accordion. I don't know how to play it myself but I taught her how to read music and what different notes sound like. We bonded over music and being… unexceptional in a family of the exceptional."
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"Don't apologize. Find something you can do with Diana, something that will help bridge that gap between you."
Luisa nodded. It was sound advice, and Felix was probably the only person in the family who would know how to help her with this in any meaningful way. Wasn't that why she'd come to him in the first place?
"I'll try. Thank you."
"De nada. And Luisa?"
"Yes?"
"Don't believe her. Someday she'll see that you are her mother now. You might not be Cadence, but you're her mother all the same."
Luisa took a deep breath and stood up after letting it out.
"I'll think on it. Good night."
"Good night, sobrina."
Mothers and Daughters
Mama's death had come quickly.
They'd known it was coming. Bruno had shared the information with the family not long before, and Pepa knew that Mama's passing would be peaceful. She found solace in that, just like she had when Sara went, but just like when Sara had gone the pain hit her all at once. Her mother was gone, dead, off to be with her father in the next world, and Pepa was still there in Casita with the rest of the family. She had spent the past few days, before and after the funeral, crying and causing a massive storm around the Encanto whenever she stepped outside her room.
Oh yes, she was also stuck in her room, where nobody had to deal with her rain and she could mourn in peace. Felix and her children, all four of them, would come by to comfort her. So would her grandchildren, all of whom tried to make her smile in some way. All but Catalina, who used her gift of dreams to provide Pepa with solace and allow her to sleep peacefully.
It was a month after the funeral that Mirabel came into her room and sat down beside her without a word as the rain poured down around them. Her belly was bigger now, her new baby growing with every day that passed, waiting to come join them in this world. And Pepa was reminded that of the Madrigals, Mirabel had been the first to lose her mother, even if she couldn't remember her. Pepa laid a hand on her youngest daughter's belly and felt the gentle kick of the growing newest addition to the family.
"A strong baby," she whispered.
"All Madrigals are strong," Mirabel said back, finally speaking.
"I'm sorry I've been…"
"It's fine, Mamí. You needed your space."
They sat there for another few minutes in silence.
"…Papa gave me a vision this morning."
"Who's dying now?"
"Nobody. Nobody's dying. It's about the baby."
"What about the baby?"
"It's a girl. I'm having another hija."
Pepa felt her heart swell with joy. Oh, another little girl.
The baby's going to be a girl, Pepa.
I thought you told Bruno not to peek.
Oh, no, I just know it's going to be a girl. Madrigals are predisposed to be female, especially after you and Julieta and your daughters.
"I'm glad to hear it. Have you picked out any names yet?"
Mirabel nodded.
"I picked it out a couple weeks ago. Joseph knows but I haven't told anybody else what I want."
"What is it, then?"
"We're naming her Alma. Alma Pepita Madrigal."
And now there was a rainstorm in her room all over again, soaking both her and Mirabel as she cried.
Repeat
Sebastian felt nervous as he approached his door.
He could feel the eyes of everyone on him, eyes that were waiting to see if he'd be like his mother or his sister with his gift. Or maybe if he'd be like Tía Mira and not get a gift at all. That wouldn't be too bad, he thought to himself, to not have a gift.
But he kind of wanted one anyway.
He held the candle that Tía Mirabel had held out to him, and he couldn't feel the magic surging through it like he remembered Tío Camilo describing, but it was warm and some of the wax dripped onto his fingers. Ever so gently, he wiped it off on his pants before turning his attention to the doorknob. He gripped it tightly, squeezing his eyes shut before he turned it, and then…
Pain. His head exploded in pain as he saw something, something that he knew couldn't be real but somehow it was at the same time.
He could see Tía Cecelia, happy and sitting up in bed, holding a baby.
But… Tía Cecelia doesn't have a baby!
"Sebastian!"
His mother's voice cut into his thoughts, and he squeezed his eyes shut again and shook his head until the image vanished. Then he looked up at his door.
He was older, eyes open as he held an hourglass in his hands. It was a familiar sight, one he'd seen so many times just walking by on his way through the house. It was the same as Tío Bruno's door, only with Sebastian instead of Bruno.
There were whispers behind him. It was the first time anyone had gotten a gift that someone else had gotten before them, and he wasn't sure why he'd gotten it. Was… was Tío Bruno going to die?
Wait! Tía Cecelia's going to have a baby!
No, is Tío Bruno going to die? I have to know.
"Sebbie, bebé, breathe," Mama begged, her hands on his shoulders.
Then Tío Bruno came up to him and Sebastian stared up at his tío's face.
"Don't worry. I've got you, kid," Bruno promised. "Open your door. Whatever's back there, I'll help you face it."
Sebastian nodded and grabbed his doorknob again. This time the pain didn't come and he opened it to find a room that was a lot like Tío Bruno's… just with a lot more paints. He could paint as much as he wanted, and the sand wouldn't get into it was long as he was careful.
The celebration went on as planned, and once it was all said and done Sebastian was left alone with his mother, sister, and Tío Bruno. Mama and Maya were going to sleep in his room with him tonight so he wouldn't be alone, and Tío Bruno was going to teach him the vision ritual.
"I swear, you'd better not show him anything I don't want him to see," snapped Mama, glaring at Bruno.
"I won't, Isa. I promise."
And that's when it occurred to Sebastian.
Bruno had been alone when he got his power. He'd had to figure it out all by himself. And Sebastian had Bruno to help him learn how this worked and how to make good visions. Sure there'd be bad ones, but he'd make sure there were plenty of good.
Just like Tío Bruno when he'd seen the house was going to fall.
Abuelita
The first thing Alma notices is the woman standing behind Mama.
The woman is very pretty, a little bit taller than Mama and about the same age. Her hair is a lot longer and wilder and she's smiling at Alma. Then Alma's eyes move behind the woman and she sees two people she's only seen in pictures—Abuela Alma and Abuelo Pedro. But they're both dead, they're both gone and in the ground. And she knows that the first woman, the one right behind Mama, must be Abuelita. The one her big sister is named after and the one who died giving birth to Mama.
She's seeing their ghosts.
Alma turns to her door again and she can see that she is holding an orb of some kind. She's an adult on the door, just like everyone else, and there are graves behind her. Her eyes are open as she gazes out at the crowd and there are whispers wondering what her gift could possibly be.
Without missing a beat, Alma looks directly at Abuelita and smiles.
"Hola, Abuelita. It's nice to see you."
The reaction is immediate. Questions from the crowd, Mama's eyes are wide with confusion as she looks to Abuela Pepa, and Alma knows nobody understands yet. Abuelita blinks at her, shocked, and she looks to Abuela Alma and Abuelo Pedro for explanation. Then she looks back at Alma.
"Can you tell Mirabel that I'm very proud of her?" Abuelita requests. Alma nods, then looks to Mama.
"Abuelita says she's very proud of you."
And Mama looks like she's going to cry. Abuelito looks like he's going to cry, too, and Alma hesitates. Did she say something wrong? She goes over and hugs Mama, and Mama hugs her back before picking her up and standing up straight.
"We have a new full-fledged Madrigal!" she announces proudly, and Alma can tell Mama is still trying not to cry.
She promises to be more careful with what she says in the future as Abuelo Felix scoops her out of Mama's arms and gives her a big hug before the rest of the family joins them.
She is the first Madrigal who is able to speak to the dead.
Her gift is unique and unsettling.
She knows that it will be hard to adjust—not for her but for the people of San Ambrosio. They're the ones who need to learn to live with her, not her learn to live with them. That is what she'd learned from hearing about Abuelito growing up with his gift, and what she'd overheard him telling Sebastian.
She is more than her gift, but her gift is a part of her.
And with this chapter, requests are officially closed.
We have one more chapter to go, just one. It's actually already finished. I'll post it when I get home from work.
So long and thanks for all the fish!
