AUTHOR'S NOTES: So, a little clarification as far as the timeline of this chapter. The section with Isabela takes place just before the events of the previous chapter and the second half of this chapter immediately proceeds the last one.

Chapter 7

(Earlier that day...)

The only sounds in the sitting room of the Suarez home were the sleepy mutterings and gentle squeaks of Bruno and his rats tangled up on the sofa and the soft, rhythmic clicking of Isabela's knitting needles as she worked on finishing an afghan for her bed once the new house was finished.

While she'd never had Mirabel's patience and skill when it came to sewing and embroidery, Isa was surprised to discover that there was something almost meditative in the act of weaving strands of yarn together. Given the swirling tempests of emotions constantly sweeping the Madrigals into a hurricane of confusion, Isabela had found herself unable to quiet her mind enough to go to sleep.

In the past, she would have slipped out of her bedroom and gone into the forest closest to the house and let her powers loose. Or she might have worked on the gardens in the backyard with her hands, savoring the feeling of dirt under her fingers.

But as Isa watched Mirabel sleeping restlessly as she tried to get as comfortable as her broken arm would allow, she finally gave up on sleep and headed downstairs, sitting cross-legged in the armchair in the corner as she picked up the yarn and knitting needles Olivia Suarez had given her.

"A restless mind and quiet hands never lead to a good night's sleep," Olivia had said to her the first night the Madrigals had stayed in the Suarez home. "Mirabel said something about you enjoying knitting? Maybe this will help you to relax."

Tears welled up unexpectedly in Isabela's eyes as she thought of dear, sweet Mirabel and she hastily wiped them away. With everything Mira was going through, her first thought was helping Isa sleep better at night. Looking down at the last line of stitches, Isa smiled as she thought about Mirabel's future room and decided that a matching afghan would be the perfect touch for her sister's new bed.

Maybe once the house was rebuilt, she and Mira could construct a small greenhouse in the backyard. The idea of teaching Mirabel about growing plants by hand felt like a good way to help her sister find new ways of combatting her anxiety and stress instead of hurting herself.

Admiring her work after tying off the last knot, Isa looked up sharply as she heard a very soft knock at the door. Standing up and grabbing her dressing gown from the back of the chair, she tied it about herself before going to the door, opening it and taking a step back in surprise. "Abuela," she whispered, opening the door further. "Is everything alright? What are you doing out here so early? It's not even dawn yet."

Alma Madrigal's smile was warm, but Isabela was starting to learn that looks could be deceiving. Not to mention the fact that she was starting to learn that her grandmother had a habit of being manipulative. "I was hoping we could talk. I was already awake and thought a walk might clear my head."

Stepping outside, Isabela quietly closed the door, leading her grandmother to the porch swing along one side of the house. Once the two were sitting down, Isa remained silent, letting Abuela start the conversation.

"Mariano is deeply saddened that you broke off your engagement," Alma began, giving her granddaughter a concerned look. "I know you are going through a great many changes right now, but the two of you planning your wedding could be a good way to get back to normal, don't you think?"

Isabela could only just stare in bafflement for a moment before she replied, "It's more than what I'm going through, Abuela. I just... I can't think about getting married right now. We're working to rebuild the house and we're trying to help Mirabel. Planning a wedding seems like a distraction no one needs right now."

"Well, hopefully you can fix your sister quickly," Alma went on, glancing at the silent town for a brief moment. "Many of the people in the village know that she has been hurting herself. Mariano was kind enough to inform me that it's one of the favorite topics for town gossip and has been for several years now."

Stiffening, Isabela's eyes turned cold as she studied her grandmother. "Abuela, first of all, we can't just 'fix' Mirabel. Second, you're one of the main reasons she's 'broken' in the first place!"

"Keep your voice down," Alma reprimanded, sharply.

"No," Isabela snapped, standing up. "No, I will not keep my voice down. Because maybe if I'm loud enough, you'll actually hear me when I tell you something." Crossing her arms, she stated, "Whatever I said to Mariano about our former engagement is between him and me, and I do not appreciate you butting into our private business. And as for the gossip about Mirabel, maybe that's something you should handle since you're the reason she began to hurt herself in the first place! Good day to you, Abuela!"

Going back into the house, it took all of Isabela's self-control to not slam the door which she knew would wake everyone up, leading to questions about how she felt, which would lead to a good deal of screaming and foul language on her part.

"I thought I heard voices," Bruno murmured as he came into the foyer, running a hand through his hair and withdrawing it quickly when he felt one of his rats nip his finger. Pulling the annoyed rodent out of his hair and giving him a quick scritch, he muttered, "That's what you get for sleeping up there all the time, Timo."

Isabela couldn't resist a soft chuckle as another rat ran up to her, looking worried. Picking the sleek female up and stroking her back, she said, "I'm alright, Hazel, but it's sweet of you to check on me." Turning to Bruno who had released Timo so he could perch on his shoulder, Isa explained, "Abuela was just here. She wanted to talk."

"Ahhh..." Bruno replied, knowingly. Nodding to the kitchen, he smiled as he offered, "Tea?"

"Please," Isabela nodded, gratefully, as she followed her Tio.

Once the pair were seated at the table with hot cups of chamomile tea before them - with a splash of wine and a drizzle of honey in Isabela's cup - Bruno watched his rats carry the wine bottle out of sight before returning and scurrying under his shirt once more.

"Mama isn't going to yell at you for putting wine in my tea, is she?" Isa asked with a smirk.

Bruno chuckled nervously as he added some vanilla syrup to his cup before stirring it with a cinnamon stick. "W-Well, you're definitely older than 9 years old this time, so I think you're okay."

After a few moments of silence, Isabela sipped her tea and gave her tio an inquisitive look. "You said when I was older, you'd explain why she was so angry at you that night."

Leaning back in his chair, Bruno played with the cinnamon stick in his teacup for a moment before he replied, "I-I don't know how much you remember about... about before I left... The times when I would be... I seemed to become a completely different person..."

Isabela nodded, slowly. "I remember sometimes you'd be really fun and then you'd have too many visions and then... you'd disappear for a few days, or you'd be..." When Bruno looked at her, Isa flinched slightly as she finished, "Once in a while, you'd get really mean and start yelling and snapping at everyone."

"The visions... everyone in town calling me cursed... the pressure from Abuela..." Bruno shook his head and sipped his tea. "Add in my OCD compulsions and social anxiety and it all combined to make me a wreck. And because of that... I started to drink. Wine, rum... chicha was also a favorite of mine. At first, the alcohol just made me feel better about everything. But over time..."

"So... Tia Pepa getting mad at you for causing her to create a hurricane on her wedding day..." Isabela prompted. "I remember Mama telling me that you drank too much that day, but she refused to say anything else."

Bruno shrugged as he tried not to think of how close he came to dying. "Julieta... Before I left, your mother told me that she didn't like the idea of her daughters drinking when you all got old enough. She was afraid you'd end up like me."

Finishing her spiked tea, Isabela caught Bruno's look and she realized that he'd been eying her cup. Getting up and pouring herself a refill, she bypassed the wine and honey and went with her tio's choice and added vanilla syrup and a thin cinnamon stick.

"How often do you think about drinking?" Isabela wanted to know as she stirred her tea before taking a sip.

Straightening up, Bruno refilled his own cup and when he sat down again, he replied, honestly, "It's more like 'When don't I think about drinking?'. Addictions never go away, Isabela. They're like... like a permanent stain. Most days, I'm alright. But sometimes I start feeling my alcoholism start pulling at me. And when that happens, I have to try and find something to keep my mind occupied. Or I remind myself of how hard I've worked to stay sober for so long. One glass... one sip... and all that progress would be undone."

Before Isabela could say anything else, she let out a yawn. "I suppose I should at least try and get a little sleep," she decided, even though she didn't want to risk going upstairs and waking her sisters.

Nodding in agreement, Bruno set their cups aside for later at breakfast and led his sobrina back to the sitting room. "I'll take the armchair," he offered before nodding at the sofa. Once Isabela was settled, he grabbed the afghan and draped it over her before picking up his ruana and using it as a blanket as he curled up in the armchair.

Within a few moments, both of them were asleep.

(Present Time...)

Heading through town on the way to check on Pepa and Felix, Bruno was so focused on his own thoughts that he didn't notice anyone was crossing his path until he'd collided with one of the villagers, both of them nearly knocking the other over.

"Ai, Dios!" Bruno exclaimed, hastily grabbing up the woman's fallen items. "I'm sorry! Sorry! I-I-I wasn't watching where I was-" Stopping as he handed over the bundles of clothing, Bruno's eyes widened as he realized that he'd nearly run over Roslyn Ruiz, the daughter of the town's main textile master and seamstress.

She was also the only one in town who had constantly made active attempts to befriend him, despite his reputation as weird and a bad omen.

"Bruno," Roslyn greeted, warmly. "I'd heard you were back. I-I was actually coming to see you, believe it or not."

"O-Oh?' Bruno murmured, looking confused. "Um... Wh-What for, e-exactly?"

"These, actually," the novice seamstress replied, handing the pile of clothing back to Bruno. "I-I-I was going to give them to you for your birthday... Your 40th birthday, actually. Y-You know, but then you disappeared. Oh!" Reaching into her bag, she withdrew two drawstring pouches, one with yellow fabric and green embroidery, the other with green fabric and yellow embroidery. "I don't know if you still do the salt and sugar over your shoulder thing, but they're already full if you need them. If not, y-you can just dump them out and fill them with... you know, with whatever."

Bruno smiled as he nodded gratefully, examining the fabric bundles which happened to be three new ruanas, each oversized the way he liked. They were also hooded and had several pockets on the inside for his rats. "Gracias, Roslyn. These are wonderful." Taking the navy blue ruana and pulling it over his head, he couldn't help a small chuckle as several of the rats-including Hazel and Timo-scurried from the collar of his shirt to the inside of the ruana, investigating the pockets.

"I think the rats like it, too," Roslyn giggled, her eyes twinkling.

Shrugging a bit as another of the rats, Gabriel, popped out of the back of his shirt and crawled up onto his shoulder, Bruno nodded in agreement. "I-I think you're right."

An awkward silence passed between the two until Bruno finally took a deep breath and asked, "Would... Would you like to...? I-I mean, w-with me? Uh, I mean..."

Roslyn giggled again, brushing some of Bruno's bangs away from his eyes before giving Gabriel a scritch under the chin. "How about a picnic this Sunday after church? We can meet by the bridge?"

"S-Sounds wonderful," Bruno murmured, smiling shyly. "I-I'll see you then."

Giving Bruno's new ruana a gentle tug, Roslyn grinned as she replied, "If I don't see you again sooner. I really am glad that you're back, Bruno."

After watching Roslyn head back towards her family's shop, Bruno felt like he was floating on top of one of Pepa's rainbows as he continued down the street towards the Cruz home where Henrietta was waiting for him, smirking slightly. "Senorita Roslyn found you, I see," she noted, nodding to the ruanas and salt and sugar pouches.

"U-Uh, yeah, she-she did," Bruno stammered, entering the house and setting his presents down on a table near the door. "Uh, w-we even decided to meet and catch up after church on Sunday. Just-You know, just the two of us."

Henrietta's eyes widened in surprise as she grinned at Bruno. Glancing over at Pepa as she came in from the kitchen, Henrietta smirked lightly and left the Madrigal siblings alone before going to finish preparing lunch.

"What was that all about?" Pepa wanted to know before glancing at her brother's ruana. "Is that new?"

"Y-Yeah," Bruno stammered, fingering the fabric before pointing to the other two. "I-I was on the way here, a-and I ran into Roslyn Ruiz. I-I mean, literally. A-And she said th-they were belated birthday presents." Blushing a bit, he muttered, "She used to have a bit of a crush on me, you know."

"Not 'used to', Bruno," Felix corrected, joining the two and nudging his brother-in-law with his shoulder. "Roslyn has been pining for you for the past 10 years. Every time she saw me in town she always wanted to know if I'd heard anything about where you'd gone."

A flicker of conflicting emotions flitted across Pepa's face, but she quickly smiled to cover it and after a moment, she confessed, "Rose and Juli used to light prayer candles for you every Sunday, hoping you'd come back." Her smile turned sad as she added, "They wanted me to join them, but... but between how I felt about what happened on my wedding day, and all the other times you were a drunken mess..." There were tears in her eyes as she concluded, "Part of me didn't... I-I thought that maybe it was better if you never came back."

"Yeah, I, uh... I made life much harder than it needed to be... didn't I?" Bruno murmured, dismally. "Pepa, I know that there's no way I can ever make up for being intermittently drunk all the time. Sobering up... it made me realize how... how truly terrible I was to the family."

Pepa's eyes widened, and she looked devastated as she studied her brother. "Bruno, that's not what I meant," she protested.

"I know," Bruno acknowledged. "But it doesn't mean it's not true. I may be a recovering alcoholic, but that doesn't erase everything that I did when I was drunk."

Putting a hand on Bruno's shoulder, Felix added, "I know I didn't help matters. I remember always inviting you out to the bar or over here for game nights. I thought drinking would help you feel better about everything."

"You didn't know what would happen," Bruno assured Felix before looking at Pepa. "The thing is... I did."

Felix and Pepa exchanged puzzled expressions before turning to Bruno who rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "It, uh... It's what really made me want to stay sober," he explained. "Just before Antonio was born, I had a two-way vision... You know, like the one with the casita breaking and Mirabel? Anyway, I was having a really bad moment of weakness because I'd had a vision migraine all day. I didn't want to let it play out, but my Gift wouldn't leave me alone."

After pausing as he remembered wanting to sneak out of the walls and break into the family liquor cabinet, Bruno pressed on. "Finally, I just gave in and let the vision play out... One ending... I-It had me reuniting with the family. The other... Y-You all were... Th-The family was gathered around... my headstone. I-I couldn't... I didn't want to die that way... I didn't want you to pull my body out of the walls."

Poking her head around the corner, Henrietta gave the trio a look before focusing on Bruno. "Stop being so maudlin, Bruno, and tell them about your date this Sunday with Roslyn!"

Chuckling nervously as his sister and brother-in-law gaped at him, Bruno began, "Yeah, w-we're going on a-"

But the rest of Bruno's words were drowned out by Felix's howls of laughter and Pepa's squeals of delight as she lifted Bruno off of his feet in a bear hug as she spun him around.