Bruno lay on his mattress a while, muscles sore, eyes still glued shut from sleep. He'd been awake for a while just listening to the sound of falling sand, the little pawsteps of his rats. A few of the little creatures were still snuggled up along the length of his body for warmth. It had been a few months since he moved back into his old room.

The rest of the family had wanted to refurnish the room for him after they saw it's sorry state, but he'd chosen instead to cram all tattered belongings into a little cave in the wall of his tower. It wasn't always so bad. One would think it would have been good as new after the house had been rebuilt, but no, that was just his luck. It was all the same to him in any case. He wasn't quite yet ready to part completely with the little home he'd made for himself in the walls.

It wasn't much, but just moving back to his old room alone was stressful and surreal. To Casita's credit he'd forgotten how soothing the curtain of sand was at night, all the nights it helped him fall asleep as a child.

Juanita began to nuzzle at his scruffy cheek and when that proved fruitless started lapping at his skin, her little teeth grazing his face.

"Alright, alright, I get it, I'm up." he groaned though he couldn't help the grin that her persistence brought to his face.

No doubt she was pestering him for her breakfast. He'd been keeping rats for years, ever since he was a child. It started with a single mated pair. He took them in after Pepa kicked one of them across the kitchen and broke its leg. It was just going to be temporary, just until they were well enough to be released. He couldn't help but get attached. It took a lot of cajoling when mama found out to get her to let him keep them. No doubt she never expected the population to balloon like they did.

It took a bit of limp, half hearted, flailing to get the feeling back in his limbs and shake off the sleep. A good yawn and a stretch to get fresh oxygen to his brain. As he craned backward he heard a loud crack that echoed off the walls of the tower and sent a brief shiver down his spine. That got his eyes open. Hne rubbed a palm along the sore spot in his lower back and cleaned the sleep from his eyes before cracking his neck, then his knuckles. He stared down at the old mattress on the floor. Maybe it was time to get a new bed at least.

Climbing up to his feet he watched as the rats started poking their heads out of every nook and cranny, eyeing him expectantly. A few sleeping rats tumbled off his poncho onto the bed. He chuckled and he watched Carlos wriggle on his back only to sink deeper into one of the mattress's many dents.

"Easy mijo I got you." he reassured and reached down to scoop up his pet. Carlos lay contentedly in his arms like a baby and Bruno gave his belly a tickle. The rat squealed playfully and scurried up his arm to his shoulder and made a nest in Bruno's mat of curly black hair. Their little claws still tickled after all these years, their shiny eyes and twitching noses filled him with a comforting warmth. As he turned to leave others poured from their cubbies and started to pool about his ankles. Walking down the stone steps and carefully avoiding tiny eager tails he started to wonder if he may have become somewhat of a crazy cat lady. He dismissed the thought, surely not, these are rats, it's completely different. Rats actually love you back.

As he made it to the bottom of the steps he looked around the cavernous room. Every morning it seemed to look a little different than the night before. It had grown very empty and deteriorated over the years. It was starting to look a bit better, the sand curtain now fell into a working grate in the floor, you could actually see the floor. A decorative tile floor was slowly regaining some of its color and a few more of the steps had grown back. He couldn't spot anything too noticeable today, but this house was always full of surprises and he was sure he'd spot something by the end of the day.

Poking his head out into the hall he could hear a commotion in the courtyard. The house was usually pretty noisy but this was something else. He padded down the steps to the catwalk. Careful to avoid his many nieces and nephews as they scurried past. He still walked softly out of habit so as not to make any sound that might disturb the peace.

A sudden roar shook him.

He leapt to the railing as he watched his youngest nephew leap over the balcony to the floor below on the back of a jaguar.

Heart stopped.

Then laughter.

"One more time! One more time!" Antonio cheered to his terrifying pet.

Bruno never much liked cats. Didn't trust them. But Antonio looked alright.

"Scares the daylights out of me too."

He jumped.

Bruno turned to see Pepa leaning over the railing next to him. She sighed as she watched her son playing with his jaguar in the courtyard. The jaguar bolted back up the steps and rushed past them in a flurry of spots.

"I don't know how you manage sis." Bruno breathed and he gripped at his racing heart.

"I swear that boy is going to give me a heart attack" She agreed before shifting the weight of a basket she carried on her hip.

"To think. You used to be scared of rats." Bruno teased.

"You're never going to let me live that down are you." Pepa grumbled a gray cloud forming over her adorable scrunched face.

"Eh, turnabout's fair play sis." He grinned and shot her finger guns. His sister groaned and rolled her eyes.

"I swear between you and the boy I'll be lucky if I make it to forty."

"But you're fifty." Bruno replied awkwardly. Admittedly it felt a little weird to say it out loud himself. Sometimes he forgot just how old he was, it was truly uncanny to him how fast time flew.

"Fifty one as of today." Mirabel chimed as she skipped up the stairs to plant a kiss on her uncle's cheek.

Bruno froze up at the touch for a moment but didn't take long to recompose himself and ruffle his niece's hair as she smiled brightly at him. He was still so unaccustomed to human touch after all these years. She really was a miracle. This bright beautiful girl who brought him out of his cave. She reminded him how it felt to be loved. So many years he'd watched her grow through the cracks in the walls. Now he could finally feel the warmth of her skin and gaze lovingly into the beautiful brown eyes.

"No, not yet!" Pepa curtly corrected, accented by a low rumble of thunder. "Until nine forty PM, I'm still fifty" She huffed. Her husband Felix crept up behind her and tickled the back of her neck with kisses that made her giggle like a schoolgirl. Wrapping his strong arms around her petite waist he reassured his wife.

"Fifty or five hundred mi vida you're still as beautiful as the day we met."

"You're such a flirt." She chided playfully as she ran her free hand along his jawline.

Bruno pretended to vomit over the railing, loud enough for his sister to hear. Pepa shot daggers at him as Felix and Mirabel laughed. It felt good, making his family laugh. It was one of the few things he was good at growing up. Even if Mama didn't always appreciate it.

"Did you find the decorations Tia Pepa?" Mirabel chimed.

"They were in the shed, I had to clean them up a bit but they're in pretty good shape all things considered."

Pepa passed the basket over Mirabel. Bruno pressed himself against the railing to make space for them and noticed as it passed by him a familiar lime green fabric he hadn't seen in ages. When they were young his mother had sat him and his sisters down to stitch birthday banners the three of them had used for years. As they got older the banners were used less and less. But there was his. The poorly stitched character smiling back at him.

"Honestly I don't know why Mama wanted to use these, they're embarrassing."

"Come now Pepa, today is special. I wanted to do something special." Their mother insisted as she stepped out into the hall.

She reached up instinctively to wave away the small cloud above her daughter's head before stopping herself and patting her cheek instead. Bruno felt dozens of tiny paws clamber up his pant legs and cling to his shirt to hide beneath his poncho.

Pepa sighed and her brother had to agree. "S-she's right Mama these are a bit silly don't you think?"

Bruno's voice cracked awkwardly and made him feel like a child.

"Well I think they're adorable" Mirabel grinned as she pulled the banner out to inspect her uncle's childish doodles. Bruno reached out to stuff it back into the basket. "Ya, don't look too closely at that…" He sheepishly insisted.

"Ma if I'd remembered it was our birthday I would have gotten up early to help everyone set up."

"Nonsense Brunito, it's your first year back. We wanted you to relax and enjoy your special day." His mother cooed as she brushed a lock of unruly hair out of his face.

It was strange seeing her so soft and doting. He heard his sister grumble though their mother didn't seem to notice. It had been like this since he properly returned to family life. His mother had been doting on him more than she ever had when they were kids and he was sure everyone was starting notice.

"A big party like this? I dunno, I think I should just sit this one out." He stammered out, ringing his hands, close to his chest, small.

"I get it," Mirabel piped up. "You've not got the best reputation." She drastically downplayed.

" We were gonna do a small little family thing.But somebody had to go and blab to the whole town."

She chastised her cousin who poked her head out one of the many doors to call back indignantly. "You shouldn't have sent me to get the groceries. You know how Senora Florez is with the chisme tax. What was I supposed to do?"

Mirabel shook her head as Mama put a hand on Bruno's shoulder. His mother lifted his chin to face her with a gentle hand.

"Go get something to eat then talk to Isabela, see if she can't do something with your hair."

"Uh, sure thing Ma." He replied awkwardly before slipping back out of her orbit and nearly tumbling backwards down the stairs.

Mirabel caught him and propped him up with the basket before nodding down to the kitchen.

The kitchen smelled like heaven. His sister's cooking always did. He used to joke that God gave him a big nose so he could better appreciate her food.

"There you are." Julieta chimed as she turned from rolling out dough to greet him.

Bruno smiled and gave her a little wave. "Yeah, mis ninos were hungry." he chuckled shyly.

Juanita poked their snoot out of his sleeve to sniff around hungerly.

"Alright guys you can come out now the scary lady's gone." He shook his poncho to agitate the rats who flooded out into a pool on the floor around him. Mirabel stepped back sucking in her lips awkwardly as she admired the hoard.

Julieta jumped a little as she turned around to clean her hands on her apron and saw the battalion of furry creatures on her clean kitchen floor.

Bruno wasn't oblivious. "I can keep them in my room if they're in the way." He scratched his face. "I guess I didn't think too much about it before. They like to follow me around but usually it was just us in here at night."

A flash of sadness crossed his sister's face as she thought of her brother scouring the kitchen with the rats in the dead of night. She quickly collected herself as if the thought hadn't occurred to her.

"Oh it's fine, as long as you keep them off the counter."

Bruno reached back with his foot to subtly pull Rossa down from the knob of a cabinet with his toes.

"Oh yeah no problem." He smiled nervously.

"I always wondered where all my food was going. Felt like I was feeding an army, turns out I really was." She laughed and her warm voice soothed the growing tension in his chest.

Julieta reached into a warmer on the counter to pull out a couple arepas to toss to her brother. Bruno fumbled the catch slightly and thanked her. As he went to take a bite Juanita climbed up on his shoulder and reached out to give it a sniff. She looked up at him with big round eyes and he caved immediately. Bruno caved.

"Alright, I'll let you have the first bite. Only cause you've been good lately."

Leaning back against the counter he started to pull a piece off for her only to jump at the sound of Julieta's scolding.

"Oh no you don't!" She stopped him and scooped Jaunita off his shoulder. She held the rat awkwardly far from her body. Doing her best to be gentle. "That's your breakfast you eat." She said, holding Juanita as if she were a loaded gun.

"I'll find something for… tus ninos." She put Juanita down on the floor and went to wash her hands before leading the rats to the pantry.

Mirabel watched the tiny parade in mild astonishment. "That's a lot of rats."

"You think that's a lot." Bruno muffled through a mouthful of food. "These are just the more social ones. A lot of them are still too shy to leave my room."

"How many do you have?" She queried as she set the basket down on a free patch of counter beside him.

"Fifty three… no fifty eight since Beatrice had her litter. Speakings of, I should check on them later, see if she needs new bedding."

Mirabel was stunned silent for a moment and Bruno could feel her eyes on him as he stuffed a last bite or arepa into his mouth. After a moment of his niece looking for the right words to say he wiped the crumbs from his mouth and hurried to defend himself.

"Look I know not everyone gets it, but rats are great, they're smart and affectionate, and…" he realized he'd been leaning in a little too close and was slightly hovering over Mirabel in his enthusiasm. Instinctively he shrunk back down.

"I mean, get why people, you know, just…"

Mirabel put a hand on his to steady him as he started stammering.

"They love their families, you know." Looking back into her eyes. He'd never stop being amazed by the understanding he found in them.

Mirabel gave him a knowing smile. "Don't worry about it. You're not the only one with weird pets. Antonio has a whole jungle in his room, I'm sure he'd love to get to hear all about them." She patted his hand before pushing off from the island counter and lacing her fingers behind her back.

"You should go clean up. The guests should start showing up soon."

"Oh geez, is it that late?"

"Tio it's two in the afternoon" She laughed as Bruno hurried off to look for Isabela.

"Finally," Isabela tutted as she led him to the downstairs washroom. "I wanted to wake you up earlier but Abuela wanted to let you sleep in. We're running out of time and I'm not letting our birthday boy look like a homeless bum."

"Ey, little harsh huh?" he whined as she shoved him into a chair propped up against the bathroom sink.

He remembered how sweet and sensitive she was when she was little. The world around him may have been fast and loud but he couldn't help but reminisce. He remembered helping his sister clean paint from Isabela's hair when she was four before their mother got home. She was so small then. This little ray of sunshine and mischief trying to spread beauty wherever she went.

Nowadays she had developed a much sharper tongue and a spiteful tempter that could be a bit scary up close.

"I'll see if I can't work my magic." She cracked her knuckles and circled around him inspecting his hair.

"EEEK!" She squealed as she uncovered Carlos still nesting under his curls.

Carlos lept out in fear and scurried off, Bruno tried to reach for him but he was off and around the corner before he could say anything.

Isabela took a deep breath and rubbed at her temples. "You and Antonio I swear, it's fine I'm sorry, it's fine." She paced to the edge of the tub where she had a few bowls of sweet smelling goo he couldn't quite identify. He could see the gears turning in her head as she formulated a plan of attack.

"This seems like a lot don't you think?"

"Oh this is just the start, I've got a lot of work ahead of me to recover that duty rats next you call hair. But for tonight I think I can get it presentable." She warned ominously as she brought a bowl over to set by the sink and called out to her father.

"Ey Papa! Little help over here."

Agustin, who was chatting with his wife in the kitchen, stopped to call back. "Oh, we're doing this now?"

"Yes now!" His daughter snapped back.

"Doing what? Excuse me, what exactly did I agree to?"

Isabela shoved her uncle back in the chair and pushed his head back into the sink to rinse his hair.

"Don't worry about it. Just relax and let me handle things ok."

Bruno tried hard not to recoil at his niece's touch as she raked her fingers along his scalp. Someone else might have found it soothing but he could help but feel anxious getting this much attention. His brother-in-law came in with a shaving kit and started setting up.

"Hey thanks. I can do that myself, you know."

"No time Tio Bruno. This is faster, just let Papa help you." Isabelle chided him as she shifted her weight to the side to make more space for her father and smeared something under his eyes before scrubbing his scalp. Whatever it was it smelled of aloe.

Agustin inspected the razor, seemingly obvious to Bruno's discomfort as he squeaked out a "Sure" through grit teeth.

The following half hour felt like centuries as his nails bored grooves in the arms of the wooden dining chair. He tried his best to make idle small talk and avoid making Agustin laugh with a razor pressed against his throat.

Once all was said and done Isabela tied his hair back into a short ponytail and he got a good look at himself in the mirror. Despite his misgivings considering Agustin's usual clumsiness he'd never managed such a clean shave himself. Perhaps it was a byproduct of growing up in a house full of women.

His hair looked a lot cleaner and softer, shiny even, and he could swear Isabelle must have done something to cover up some of the gray streaks while she was at it. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Whatever gunk she had smeared on his face earlier had brought a bit of life back to his skin and the dark circles under his eyes were less intense now.

He almost couldn't recognize himself in the mirror as he prodded gently at his face. Isabela smirked confidently behind him and her father scurried off to put the supplies away.

"Sometimes I surprise even myself."

"You did a great job." he muttered softly.

Isabela's face softened as she seemed to notice how small he shrunk the more he looked at his reflection. She wrapped her arms around his scrawny neck.

"Happy birthday Tio Bruno." She smiled meekly. Isabela was anything but meek. "Between you and me, this was my idea." She admitted. "I just wanted you to feel good on your birthday. I thought it would help."

Bruno could feel a knot form in his stomach as he heard guests start to funnel in. Isabella had been hoping to boost his confidence using her most familiar means. He turned to hug his niece. She smelled of succulents and even after all these years she still felt small in his arms.

"I missed you." she whispered softly.

"I missed you too mija."

"Come on, the party's starting." Agustin ushered them out into the courtyard.

Already the casita was filled with life and music. Antonio was impressing the neighbor kids with his many exotic pets as they darted outside to play in the yard. He could see Luisa and her mother resting with some cold lemonade and having a laugh. Camillo had filled the corner with kids his own age who all seemed enthralled with whatever tales he was spinning.

He watched as his nephew briefly shifted into an intimidating caricature of him only to change back the second they made eye contact. Pepa was dancing with her husband and Mirabel supervised the folks cued up to grab food from the table set up along the side of the courtyard.

Bruno had seen a great deal of Madrigal parties but this one felt different. Usually the Madrigals would all be on their feet entertaining, but most of the family seemed to be taking it a bit easier this time around. The decorations were less intensely curated, more chaotic and casual. The music was... He turned to see Dolores's boyfriend on the piano. Ah, that explained it. She looked utterly enthralled with him though as she sat next to him drinking in his baritone voice and questionable lyrics.

Isabela recognized a young man in the crowd and flagged him down while Augustin went to help Mirabel in the kitchen leaving Bruno alone on the sidelines. He knocked anxiously along the wall behind him, took a deep breath and crossed his fingers. Everything seemed to be going alright so far.

As he released his breath he was grateful for the space he'd now been afforded. It was nice to just sit back and watch without being the center of anyone's attention. He hoped it would stay that way and he wouldn't have to make idle chit chat with his neighbors. More than anything he hoped he wouldn't find some way to make a scene of himself.

He felt little paws skitter up his pant leg.

"There you are Carlos." he scooped up the gray white bellied rat and looked him over to be sure he wasn't too shaken up. "Sorry about Isabela. She'll come around, maybe…" He stroked the top of Carlos's head with his finger and sighed. "Oh who am I kidding." He didn't know what would possess him to lie like that. Carlos was a rat, people hate rats, there's no changing that.

"Bruno!" Boomed a cheery voice.

"Oh lord give me strength" he muttered under his breath as he tucked Carlos under his collar. Portly Osvaldo waddled up to give him a friendly slap on the back that nearly knocked him over.

"It's good to see you. Looking good mi amigo you clean up nice."

"Hey Osvaldo." He forced out through grit teeth. "How's that diet working out for you?" Bruno snarked as observed a belt fastened two sizes too small.

"Am I meeting my goal this year?" he asked excitedly.

"It wasn't a vision, just a stab in the dark…" Not that Osvaldo was even listening.

"No nevermind, don't tell me, I don't wanna jinx it." Osvaldo put his hands in his pockets and beamed proudly. "I've managed to stick to it all month."

"Well good luck with that." Bruno replied as he tried to scoot away. Only to have Osvald put a hand on his shoulder and keep chattering with total abandon.

"Do you do something with your hair? I swear you look ten years younger."

"Yeah, you can thank my niece for that. Isabela she uh…" He trailed off as he noticed Mirabel had returned to her post and caught her eye from across the room with a pleading look.

Much to his relief she recognized his discomfort and hurried over to distract Osvaldo with some sweets.

"Hey Senor Ortiz. I know how much you love my mom's desserts. She's been trying out some new recipes. You've just got to try them,"

Mirabel winked back at Bruno as Osvald blabbed on about his diet giving him the green light to flee.

Most of the night carried on in a similar fashion as various neighbors made awkward attempts to chat with him.

Some stumbled out awkward half hearted apologies for past mistreatment.

Others would try to be friendly and supportive out of a sense of obligation and chew his ears with idle chatter. Petty small things that didn't interest him. One woman nearly choked on her drink when she spotted one of his rats chewing at his hair tie.

Still others largely avoided him and cast him occasional unsure glances between whispers. Unsurprising. He wasn't expecting the town to change overnight. He knew most of the people who tried to make a show of being friendly only did so to appease his mother. Not that he could blame them. In the end he probably would have spent the night in his room if it weren't for her. There were a few times in the night he found himself suppressing the urge to try and ward off any possible hiccups in the night but knew that would draw attention to him. The best he could do was silently hope and pray. But as the night wore on he did relax a bit. It seemed everyone else was a bit less wound up than usual and as he managed to survive more and more awkward encounters he slowly became more convinced that the night might actually go off without a hitch.

Eventually his mother announced cake and gifts from the top of the stairs and everyone started shuffling outside. He wasn't thinking about gifts. He hadn't had a birthday gift in a long time. Of course he dreaded being the center of attention but at least he was sharing the spotlight with his sisters so that did help a bit.

As Mirable dragged him outside by his sleeve to catch up with the rest he groaned inwardly when he saw the old birthday banners had been hung on the wall outside above the table where the cake and gifts had been set up. Three chairs all in a row with those silly banners above each one.

Pepa was already seated and seemed as embarrassed by her crude childhood monstrosity as he was. The whole thing was covered with crooked rainbows and smiley faces and many of the stitches had long come undone leaving small holes in the embroidery.

Juileta seemed to be taking it with grace though. But that was no surprise, at least her banner had been made with some competence. Little smiling dough balls and cooking tools danced along the baby blue banner around her name.

They were turning six and it had been their mother's idea to make banners together to bond and teach them a new skill. She was so charmed by the stupid things that they used them every year for the next eight years. The smiling cartoon mascot on Bruno's banner stared back at him tauntingly. He'd been pretty fond of the cartoons in his children's books so tried to recreate his favorite character holding an hourglass. It's a testament how few people could actually recognize the character.

The cheery banners were pretty bittersweet. They certainly didn't portray what it was really like growing up alone with Alma behind closed doors. Strict routines, high standards, harsh punishments. He still vividly remembered the sting of his mother's chancla.

Bruno took his seat between his sisters and the town and family all gathered round as candles were lit to sing Cumpleaños. He may have been anxious about the crowd but being surrounded by all his family like this, seeing all his nieces and nephew gathered round the table.

He thought back to so many birthdays alone in the walls singing along, wishing his sisters well. He kept shifting his weight about, tapping his foot. He smiled wide and hung his head laughing as he tried hard not to let it show.

"Time to blow out the candles." His mother chimed as the few stragglers in the back finally stopped singing. Bruno looked side to side to his sisters who seemed to be wearing the same melancholy smiles as him. He could see that sad shine in their eyes that reassured him he wasn't alone.

Mama held up a hand and the crowd chanted all along.

"3,2,1."

Bruno leaned in with his sisters to blow the candles out together and first the time it really felt real to him. He was home.

SPLAT!

He felt a hand jerk his head forward into the cake as soon as the candles were out. Stunned for a brief moment he lifted his head slowly as his sister's laughter filled his ears and he tried to blink the frosting from his eyes.

Now he was home.

He let out a chuckle and stuck his tongue out to lick the cake from his face. It tasted… different.

"Hey Julieta, did you do something different with the recipe?" He started to ask tentatively.

"I made that one." Mirable who was leaning on the table next to her mother chirped.

"Oh, well I mean it's still good," he reassured, stuffing more cake into his mouth "It's just different." He muffled through a mouthful of cake.

"I made another one so there'd be enough to go around." Juileta explained as she got up to take a much larger cake from Lusia and find a good spot for it at the table. Only to turn and see her brother shoveling another bite of mutilated birthday cake into his mouth with his fingers.

The rest of the night was full of laughter. His unease finally lifted. He properly enjoyed opening gifts with his sisters. Secretly grateful the cake had helped him save face in front of the crowd. Each of the kids had gotten a gift for him this year.

Some homemade shampoo from Isabela who playfully threatened him if she didn't see him using it.

Luisa had made little wooden sculptures for the three of them, a new hobby she'd taken up. She wasn't very good at it yet though the gesture was sweet.

Dolores had wrapped one of Julietas empanadas as an inside joke which made him beam though his sisters were clueless as to why.

Camillo got him a pair of stilts as a gag gift and all he could do was stare in stunned sarcasm as his nephew nearly fell over laughing.

Little Antonio made some crude climbing toys for his rats to play with.

His brother-in-laws even brought something over much to his surprise. "Felix and I picked this out for you together." Agustin explained as he passed Bruno a large flat box that hadn't been wrapped.

"Oh you guys didn't have to."

"Trust me you need this." Felix assured as he gestured to the box.

Opening the box revealed a simple three piece suit, it was mauve and a bit plain yet still felt like a bit too much. It even came with a decent pair of loafers. Do doubt his brother-in-law caught the bewilderment on his face.

"Hey I wanted to get you something more casual but Agustin over here just had to make a show out of it."

"There's nothing wrong with a good suit, you want to go more casual, you just wear the shirt and trousers. This is more versatile than what you wanted to get him."

Bruno just stared down at the bewildering gift.

"We had to guess a bit on the measurements but Juileta and I can make adjustments if you need."

Finally roused from his daze he stumbled out. "Oh, uh, no this is… it's… I'll try this on later." He smiled back.

"Nonsense." His mother insisted. "You should go get changed, show everyone how handsome you look."

Some folks in the crowd got a good laugh at that. A few tried to cheer him on. Cheering or jeering. He couldn't always tell the difference.

"Oh no Ma, I mean I don't wanna hold everyone up waiting on me."

"It's hardly an imposition mijo."

Mirabel came to his rescue yet again as she whispered something to her Abuela. Bruno could see the disappointment in his mothers face but she quickly plastered on a smile.

"You know, you're right. You can show it off tomorrow after we've had a chance to take it in a bit." assured him.

A chubby hand pushed a brightly decorated gift onto the table in front of him as he tucked the suit away on the gift was soft with colorful scribbles all over the wrapping paper and a big bow on top. He looked up to see Mirable had saved her gift for last. Her eyes glittered from the twinkling string lights.

"That just leaves mine, Tio Bruno."

Bruno unwrapped it slowly, doing his best to preserve her lovely drawings. Neatly folded inside was a green ruana not unlike the poncho he'd worn for years. The pattern was similar but the fabric was new. Mirable's signature scribbles danced along the hour glasses, they were small but the little pops of color gave the old pattern some new life.

She was really trying her best to break him tonight wasn't she?

He took off his old poncho exposing the rags he wore underneath and put it on. He didn't care about the other guests. It was so warm and soft.

"How do you like it?" Mirable asked.

He pulled her in for a hug and held her close for a moment. "It's perfect Mirable." he breathed.

"I thought you'd like it." She held his hands in hers for a moment longer as they separated.

After the gifts were all done the party slowly died down. In the late hours of the night as folks were starting to clean up Dolores came to tap him on the shoulder as he helped sweep crumbs and confetti from the patio. His mother wanted to speak with him in her room.

Unsure what this was about he shrugged and passed the broom off to her before heading upstairs to see what she wanted.

Her door was open and he could see her sitting on foot of the bed as he peered inside. He tapped the frame of the door with his knuckles to get her attention. She looked up like she had been lost in thought.

"You wanted to talk?"

"Yes, yes, come sit." She patted the bed next to her.

Bruno closed the door behind him and sat down by his mother. He slumped forward with his hands clasped between his knees and we waited to see what she had to say. She wrapped an arm around him and stared at the floor for a moment but said nothing. She opened her mouth a moment or two like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

"Soo, nice party. I managed to make it all day without screwing anything up so that's something eh?"

Suddenly his mother wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in close. Resting his head on her shoulder she stroked his hair and gripped him tight. Slowly he lifted his hands to hug her, patting her back gently. A moment or two passed in the candlelit silence.

"Hey Ma did you need something?" He asked softly and was met with a sharp intake of breath.

"Just let me hold you, Brunito." Her voice quivered and he looked up to see the tears start to run down her cheeks.

Hurriedly he pulled himself up to her face. "Oh no, don't cry, Mama don't cry. If you start crying then I'm gonna… Whatever it is I didn't mean too…"

"I'm so sorry." She choked out. Bruno starred. Quietly awestruck by words he never thought he'd hear. "I never meant to push you away," she sobbed. He hugged her and held her tight. Her fingers boring into his back as she held on like she feared he'd evaporate in her arms. He could feel his eyes burning as her body shuddered with near silent sobs.

"It's ok Mama." He rubbed small circles on her back like she used to do when he was very small. "It's ok Mama, I never left."

Bruno returned to his room in the late hours of the night. Long after everyone else had gone to bed. Fatigue seeped into his bones as he hobbled up the steps to his bed. He moved like a ghost through the quiet desert. He stopped at the entrance to his cubby and leaned over to open Beatrice's nesting box which sat on a small table by his "comfy" chair.

"Sorry I didn't get around to it sooner." He muttered as he dropped a small piece of cheese into her box and watched as the grateful young mother nibbled greedily while her five pink little beans suckled at her belly.

He turned to his bed only to stop in his tracks.

The old floor mattress that has plagued his aching back for years was gone. In its place a full sized bed sat waiting. Simple dark wooden frame, green sheets with patterned trim. He stood by it a moment brushing the covers with his finger tips.

His legs gave out from under him and he flopped face first onto the bed. His eyes burned as he soaked to fresh new sheets. Too tired to fight it. Too tired to move. Eventually he fell asleep. The best sleep he'd had in a long time.