"Rosa,"

Rosa groaned, turning a little bit. Despite the blankets, the carriage just wasn't that comfortable. "Rosa, wake up." she heard again. She opened her eyes and saw Antonio was shaking her awake. He smiled at her. "Well, hello, sleepy head. We're finally in a town."

She was suddenly wide awake. "Oh, yay!" She set up and looked around. They had been traveling for almost exactly 24 hours. They took quite a few stops, getting out of the carriage to stretch their legs. And of course, they had to give Penny plenty of time to rest. That's usually when they took their time to rest, too. Rosa was still tired and would take the occasional nap while on the journey.

Now that they were out of the Encanto, Antonio could only understand about half of what Penny was saying and vice versa. Rosa's temperature control didn't work as well now. However, it was summer time, so they didn't have to worry about getting cold at night. It was pretty hot and she wasn't used to that feeling. She'd try to make a breeze and she could make a tiny one, but it wouldn't last long. If she tried to cool herself off, it would only be brief.

This town they were in looked similar to the Encanto, but it was more modern. Antonio and Rosa were both mesmerized by it. This was the first time both of them had ever left the Encanto. It was so cool, but they were definitely outside of their comfort zone. Rosa leaned a little closer into Antonio, grabbing his arm. She was nervous.

Penny was still going and they came across a little diner. "Penny, let's stop here." said Antonio as he pulled on the reins. Penny stopped. They still had plenty of food with them, but Antonio thought they could just sit down and enjoy not being in the carriage for a while. They would have to ask around to see if Javi was even in this town. If not, they'd need to leave soon. Antonio found a perfect spot for Penny and the carriage, so once they got her settled, they headed inside.

The waitress told them they could sit anywhere, so they settled on a small table and chairs on the far end of the diner. They both just wanted a water. Once the water was in front of them, they sat in silence. Rosa couldn't believe she was actually doing this. She was on a trip with her cousin to try and find her biological dad. She was so happy when her mom told her she could go on it, but she kept thinking something would come up and her mom would change her mind. But she never did and here she was.

Antonio could see Rosa gripping her cup and he could tell she was nervous. He finally broke the silence and said, "What's going through that mind of yours?"

She took a shaky breath. "Everything," She gulped. "Do you actually remember my biological dad?"

"Oh yeah. I was 10 when he and your mom were together and still 10 when they broke up, so not the most vivid memories. But I definitely remember him. He was around a lot those 4 months they were together."

Rosa nodded. She asked quietly, "What was he like?" She had asked her mom this question when she was 10, but her mom gave her a very vague answer. She wanted to get as much information as she could.

Antonio sighed. "Well…I only ever saw the nice side of him. He had lots of dinners with the family and there were never any issues. Everyone always got along. But he was nice. I remember him being polite. I saw him be very sweet and attentive to your mom, but obviously…he wasn't like that to her at the end."

Rosa was silent for a moment, taking that in. When she spoke again, she said, "Did he talk to you much?"

"Some, but not a whole lot,"

She nodded and then she said, "Do you actually remember my mom's 21st birthday party and him not showing up?"

"I do remember that evening, very well actually." he said. "I remember…your mom standing at the door and me telling her to come back to the party. I remember being so happy, because it was a birthday party, but she just wasn't happy. As the night went on, I just remember her looking sadder and sadder. She constantly looked at the door. That seems like a weird thing to remember, but I'm not kidding when I say at least every couple of minutes, she'd move from wherever she was to look at the door. She wanted him to show up so badly. Then…at the end of the night…I remember her sitting on the porch. I didn't go out there, but I heard her crying. Tio Bruno and your Abuela Julieta sat with her. She was devastated."

It made Rosa sad to think about her mom experiencing that. "I hate that for her."

"Yeah, we all did." he said with a sigh. "He broke up with her the next day, but I wasn't at Casita when that happened. I was out in town with my dad when he came by. But your mom was absolutely heartbroken. For weeks after, she barely smiled. Just when she was starting to feel a little better, she found out she was pregnant."

Rosa chuckled. "My bad,"

Antonio chuckled as well. "That was a big shocker for the whole family, too. But it was also exciting. We couldn't wait to get another baby in the family."

Rosa smiled and then said, "So…I know he told her he didn't want to be in my life, but…I know he must have said some other pretty awful things to her. Do you know any of the things he said to her?" Rosa had asked Mirabel about the break-up, but she didn't give many details. Mirabel wanted to spare her daughter how painful that was.

"I really don't know, Rosa." he said. "I just remember how heartbroken she was."

Suddenly, the waitress came by to ask them if they needed anything else. They both told her they were fine, so she smiled and walked off. Antonio said to Rosa, "Wait here." He got up and followed the waitress. "Wait! I wanted to ask you about something."

"What can I help you with?"

He glanced at Rosa, who was watching him with curious eyes, and said, "Let's walk further away from my cousin. I don't want her to hear this." They stepped a little further away, but still to where he could keep an eye on her. He did promise Mirabel he'd keep her safe, so he was not going to let her out of his sight. "This is going to sound strange. Um…we're not from here. We have traveled for the past day from a place called the Encanto. Have you heard of it?"

"Oh, yeah, everyone here has heard about it. We know all the stories about the magical family that lives there. In fact, a man who lives here is from the Encanto. He's not part of that magical family, but he says he knew them. I just think it's so fascinating."

Antonio's heart started pounding wildly. Could it be? Could they have really got this lucky? This was the very first town they came across. What were the odds Javi was actually here? He didn't want to tell her he was part of the Madrigal family, so he just said, "Who's the man?"

"Javier Alvarez."

Yep. That was him. Antonio was in shock.

He tried to play it cool, so he said, "I think I remember him. Um…do you know where he lives? I'd like to go visit him."

"Yeah. He's just up the road. His house is the last one on the street that way," She pointed to the right. "And it's blue. You can't miss it."

Wow. He thought he'd have to do a lot more digging than this. That was way too easy. He was relieved, but also disappointed. He was honestly hoping that Javi wasn't here and they'd have to keep looking and then eventually, they'd have to go back due to Mirabel's 2-week rule. But the world works in mysterious ways. "Thank you, ma'am. Thank you so much." He turned and ran over to Rosa and sat back down across from her. She was still staring at him very confused.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"So…you're not going to believe this. Your biological dad is here."

She was taking a sip of water when he said that, but she chocked on it and started coughing. When she finally recovered, she said, "What?" She was breathing heavily.

"Yes. He's here. The waitress gave me directions." He took a deep breath. "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? We can still turn around now and go back." He was not looking forward to this and he was still hoping she'd change her mind.

"Heck no!" She stood up. When he didn't immediately stand up, she said, "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

He left a tip for the waitress and they left. They got Penny situated and left on the carriage. Antonio led the reins and followed the directions the waitress gave him. Before he knew it, they were looking at blue house. His heart was racing. "His house is the blue one."

Rosa had been so excited about this. For the last 5 years, she had imagined what her dad looked like. She wanted so badly to meet him. But, now, being in front of his house, knowing he was behind those doors, it was a lot to take in.

They got out of the carriage and walked up to the house. As they were walking up the porch, Rosa turned to Antonio. Her arms were crossed. He could tell she was extremely nervous. "I haven't even thought about what I'm going to say yet."

"Just introduce yourself. Tell him who you are. Go from there."

She nodded. She looked at the house and then back at Antonio. "I'm going to go up to the house alone. But I want you close by."

"I told your mama I wasn't going to let you out of my sight, so even if you wanted me to go away, I wouldn't." He smiled at her and then leaned forward and gave her a hug. She held on tightly. He could feel her shaking. He rubbed her back and whispered, "It's going to be okay. I'm right here for you."

She took a deep breath and pulled apart. She gave him a small smile and turned, walking up to the door. Antonio walked back to Penny, but kept watching her. She stared at the door, taking deep breathes just trying to calm her racing heart. She put her hand up, about to knock, and froze. She took one final deep breath and gave 3 rapid knocks on the door. She stood back, arms still crossed. She felt like she could throw up she was so nervous.

Before long, the door opened and a man was standing in the doorway. Rosa couldn't believe it. There he was. She was staring at him, trying to find words. Somehow, he didn't look anything like she pictured, but she could see the resemblance in her. He was looking at her, a little confused. He said, "Can I help you?"

She cleared her throat and finally said, "Hi. I'm Rosa."

He still looked at her a little confused and then it dawned on him. His eyes widened. "Oh, um…okay." He turned around and then stepped outside, closing the door behind him. He looked up and saw Antonio in the distance. Antonio gave him a little wave and Javi waved back. He looked back at Rosa. "Wow, um…" He cleared his throat, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. "How, uh…um…how did you find me?"

She was actually talking to her biological dad. It didn't feel real. "I'm sure you remember Dolores? She has powerful hearing?" He nodded. "She, uh…she listened to conversations around town until she heard one of your friends talk about you. She got more information from him and found out which direction you traveled. Long story short, Antonio and I are here now." She smiled slightly at him.

She waited for him to say something, but he didn't. So, she spoke again. "I hope you don't mind that I'm here. I found out about you when I was 10 and I've spent years wondering about you. I know that…you didn't want a relationship with me then, but…I don't know…I just thought…maybe…we could talk now?"

"Yeah, um…" He cleared his throat. "I don't know if that's such a good idea."

Oh no. Please don't let everyone be right. She had come all this way. "Why not?"

"Look, I'm not proud of that part of my life. No one in this town knows I abandoned a child and they're not going to find out. I'm sorry you got the short end of the stick, but…I can't do this. It would be best if you left."

Before she could react, the door swung open. She was face to face with a little girl, who looked to be around 4 or 5 years old. "Daddy! Come play with me!"

Rosa watched his horror as he bent down to the little girl. She looked similar to some of the pictures of Rosa at that age. "Okay, princess. I'll be right there." He pushed her to go inside and he closed the door again. He turned to Rosa. "I couldn't stand staying in the Encanto anymore, so I left. I would constantly see your family around town and I was tired of it. I needed a fresh start. I have a wife and two kids here. I won't let you come here and mess it up."

Rosa could feel her chest tighten. The tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm not…trying to mess anything up. I just…I'm not even here expecting a relationship with you. I just wanted to get to know you. I have to get back home in 13 days, so that's plenty of time for us to talk." Rosa was silent for a moment before saying, "I just saw your…your daughter. I'm your daughter, too. Don't I mean anything to you?"

"I already told you that I'm not proud of that time in my life. It's too late now. You're already, what…14?"

"15,"

"That's too late to have any kind of relationship. And no one can know about you. I have a good life here. What do you think people are going to think if they found out about you? If they found out I abandoned you, I'd never hear the end of it. I even decided to start going by my full name here, Javier, not just Javi."

"I won't tell anyone!" she said shakily. She was trying so hard to keep it together. He had a whole family here and yet, to her, she was worthless.

"You say that now, but eventually the truth would come out."

He opened the door and started to go inside and close it, but Rosa put her hand up and stopped it. She took a deep breath and said, "I understand that you're not proud of that part of your life, but you have an opportunity to make it right. You didn't want to know me as a baby or when I was 3, but you can get to know me now. We don't have to have a relationship, but please, talk to me. I have so many questions and maybe you can answer some of them for me until I have to go home. Please, just…don't do this. I came all this way to meet you. I begged my mom to let me do this. Please don't shut me out. I'm your daughter."

Javi was silent and then said, "I can't do it."

"Why not? You have a family here. Well, guess what? I'm your family, too. In fact, I was your family first. My mama and I did nothing to deserve you walking out and refusing to be a parent to me. Why won't you just give it a chance now?" Rosa slowly removed her hand from the door and stepped back.

"Because, like I already said, it's too late. You wasted your time coming here. Now, please leave and don't come back." He shut the door in her face and she could hear it lock.

They were right. Everyone was right. She wished so badly she had listened. Her mom told her she did everything she could to make him want to be a dad, but nothing could convince him. Rosa had convinced herself that she could convince him to want to be in her life. She thought that if he saw her face, he'd change his mind. Rosa was heartbroken that the man who gave her life was nothing but a cold, heartless coward. She would have given anything for him to be more than that.

Antonio hadn't heard everything that was said, but he heard bits and pieces. He also saw the little girl at the door. It wasn't hard to figure out who she was. He saw Rosa put her hand on the door as Javi was about to close it. Antonio stepped forward a little bit, ready to step in if needed. Then, he saw Javi close the door in her face. He was furious now. He couldn't remember a time he had been so angry. He heard enough to know Javi had completely shut her down.

He was about to walk up there, but Rosa finally turned around and briskly walked to the carriage. She didn't say a word and just got in it. "Let's go home." she said shakily. "I don't want to talk. I just want to go home." She was absolutely mortified.

Antonio got in behind her. He sat next to her. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs. "Rosa," he said sadly and put his hand on her back.

"Please, can we go?" she said, looking up at him and moving away from him. Tears were already falling down her cheeks. "I just want to go. I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay. We can go." He grabbed the reins and they left. There was so much he wanted to say, but he kept quiet. The only noise he heard was Penny trotting and Rosa crying softly.

I actually know people who have a biological dad that wants nothing to do with them, yet they have a whole other family. I just don't understand the ways of some people.

As heartbreaking as this is for Rosa, she will have so much support from her family.