AUTHOR'S NOTES: OMG! I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS MOVIE!
Okay, I'm good now. Seriously, thought, this film is AMAZING! And after the THIRD viewing, this little nugget of a story popped into my head about when Bruno Madrigal 'left'. (Yeah, I know. SPOILERS!)
Also, about Bruno's thoughts at first. His bouts of ramblings when we actually see him in the movie got me thinking and I wondered if that was just an ADHD brain at work but he tried to keep it to himself while he was with the family. Once he's alone, he starts talking out loud so he doesn't feel as alone.
ENCANTO: The Last Night
"Tio Bruno? What are you doing?"
The small, timid voice made Bruno Madrigal whirl about, staring with shock and horror at his niece, 5-year-old Mirabel.
'Oh, no! Not Mirabel! Why couldn't it have been Camillo or Louisa or Isabella? Delores! Why couldn't she have been the one to hear me down here? She hears everything! Why couldn't it be Delores down here going "Hey, TioBruno, what's going on? I heard you in the kitchen raiding the cupboards." But no, it had to be Mirabel, my favorite-'
"Uh...," Bruno stammered, trying to think of what to say to the small child. "I am down here... because..."
'Don't tell her the truth. She's WAY too young to know about the vision and the house cracking and the problems with the Casita-'
"Are you going somewhere, Tio Bruno?" Mirabel asked, looking at the food her favorite uncle was stuffing into a small sack and the bundle of clothes he'd set on the kitchen table.
'No! No, no, no, no, no! Don't give me the eyes, Mirabel! Not the puppy eyes! I can't stand to see-Oh, and now there's tears. Dios Mio, I just...'
Bruno took a deep breath and set his sack of food down before sitting at the family table, watching Mirabel's big brown eyes fill with sad tears. "Yes, Mirabel. I'm leaving the family."
"Because of me," Mirabel whispered, the words barely audible as she thought back to the previous week when she saw her Abuela arguing with Bruno.
The little girl's words-and the fact that they were clearly a statement and not a question-felt like a knife in the heart and Bruno gave her a stern look as he replied, "No. Not because of you." Seeing that Mirabel thought he was yelling at her, he let out a deep sigh and beckoned his favorite niece closer, picking her up and sitting her on the table so they were more face to face.
"But Abuela was mad at you because I didn't get my Gift," Mirabel said, tears falling down her cheeks.
Bruno gave her a warm smile as he wiped the tears away with a corner of his poncho. "I'm leaving, Mirabel, because of my Gift. Something's wrong with it, and I'm afraid that if I stay, I might somehow hurt the family."
"What if there's something wrong with me?" Mirabel asked, nervously. "Because I didn't get a Gift? Will I have to go away, too?"
Smiling more, Bruno stood and moved so he was sitting on the table as well. "Mirabel, even though you didn't get some magical door and crazy Gift, that doesn't mean you're not special." Hugging the child, he went on. "You have this wonderful family and more love for them than anyone I've ever known. That, Mirabel, is your Gift. Don't ever forget that."
"I won't," Mirabel promised, finally smiling after sniffling slightly.
Standing up, Bruno briefly glanced at the table before getting a crazy idea. "And listen-if you miss me, just come down here at night and pretend you're joining me for a snack. You can always talk to me... even if I'm not actually around, alright?"
Mirabel jumped off the table and hugged her uncle tightly. "I love you, Tio Bruno."
Hugging Mirabel for possibly the last time, Bruno whispered, "I love you, too." Grabbing his things, he started out of the kitchen and down the hallway, vanishing into the darkened house.
