Something Pretty, Something True
Standing in front of her mirror, Isabela admired Mirabel's newest creation: her flowing midnight blue dress adorned with trails of white plumeria, baby's breath, and jasmine. At first glance, the flowers looked like stars against the night sky. Like the rest of her family, Isabela had an eye for beauty. Abuela had repeatedly called her as the most beautiful girl in the Encanto. Papá would passionately claim that the title belonged to his wife. Tío Bruno saw beauty where others wouldn't; perhaps that was why he was the one of the first to encourage Isabela's secret love for succulents and carnivorous flora. Like Isabela and her plants, Mirabel and Tío Bruno created beautiful things with their hands—Mirabel with her dresses and embroidery and Tío Bruno with his paintings and rat telenovelas. "I'm so sick of pretty. I want something true. Don't you?" Isabela remembered confessing to her youngest sister.
That was an exaggeration because there was no way to separate Isabela from beauty. There was her own physical perfection, and then, there was her gift. What she had meant was that she was sick of beauty for its own sake. Flowers themselves weren't purely decorative, after all. Flowers eventually shed their petals to bear fruit. Abuela's idea of Isabela bearing fruit had been to bear children. But while she maintained her de facto role as village decorator, Isabela had always sought for a higher purpose—more than just the flower girl, more than just the pretty wife of a pretty husband and making pretty babies. While Isabela could still see herself becoming a mother, she wanted to become one on her own terms, with a man of her own choice. At the moment, she had no vision of that for herself, which was both daunting and exciting.
Before, with Abuela making decisions for her, Isabela had pictured herself begrudgingly marrying Mariano Guzmán and perhaps popping five babies for him like Dolores had said he wanted. But Mariano was a kindhearted and sensitive soul, so Isabela could see herself either learning to love him or despising him even more to the point of adultery. Isabela shuddered and shook off the thought. "I have been listening to too many of Tío Bruno's dramas," she said to herself.
Isabela added blue, yellow, and green streaks into her hair and then secured her hair into a loose braid along her back. Satisfied, she twirled one last time before joining her family for breakfast.
Tío Bruno was not in his usual seat beside Mirabel. Nobody seemed to be bothered by this, which meant that he had slept over at the home of his querida, a healer that the villagers called Aya la bruja. Her real name was Áurea Lombroso, and she used herbal medicines to treat anything that Julieta Madrigal could not heal. Just as Agustín Rojas became a fixture at Julieta's stall due to his frequent injuries, Bruno went to Aya Lombroso to treat his mental illnesses, especially his severe melancholy. It was a mystery to Isabela and her sisters and cousins why Tío Bruno hadn't just married Señora Aya, especially when they learned that the couple had been in a physical relationship since they were twenty and close friends since they were fifteen.
When Tío Bruno introduced Señora Aya to the family as his querida a month ago, Isabela had been hit with inspiration. "Por favor, Señora Aya, if it pleases you, let me be the one to continue your practice. I realize that you and Mamá won't be around forever, and the Encanto is always going to need a physician. I want to take both of your places when the time comes." Mamá and Papá were so proud that Isabela was finding her place the community all on her own.
After cleaning up the table and the dishes and cookware, the family set out to their respective workplaces—and school for of Mirabel, Camilo, and Antonio.
Isabela's place used to be at Abuela's side, taking part in the governing council as something of a junior officer, but today, carrying a pot of black pearl chili plant, Isabela walked past the government building and made fire lilies sprout around the edifice. She made her way near to the edge of the residential area where a sprawling single-story house stood at the edge of the forest. On the front lawn stood an imposing replica of the biblical brazen serpent, now pale green with patina. It was a figure so eye-catching that one would almost miss the beautiful house just behind it. It had red clay roof tiles like every other building in the village. The concrete walls were of a mint cream color and partially covered with creeping fig. On the front garden, there was a borrachero tree, a small cluster of frailejones, and a very fragrant red plumeria tree. The front double doors were ultramarine.
Isabela was adjusting her hold on the potted plant to free one hand to knock on the door when she heard her uncle's voice from inside: "She's at the door now." Isabela was in the process of straightening up from her awkward stance when the doors opened.
"¡Buenos días, Señora Aya!" said Isabela with a wide grin.
"Buenos días, Isabela," said Aya as she took the pot from Isabela's hands. "Coffee?"
"No, thank you. I already had a cup at home. Maybe later. Hola, Tío Bruno." She waved at him, who was sipping some coffee.
"Oye," called Bruno, waving from the dining room table.
"I brought a black pearl chili plant!" Isabela announced as she and Aya went to the dining area. Aya brought the plant to the center of the dining table.
"That is beautiful," Bruno gasped, seeing the black leaves and black fruits of the plant.
"I know!" said Isabela, giving Bruno a kiss on the cheek. She giggled at her uncle's appearance. His hair was a ball of frizz, and his shirt was wrinkled and unbuttoned. Abuela would never let anyone into the dining room of Casita looking like that. But it was nice to see him so relaxed. Truth be told, trip-sitting him would always give Isabela a deep sense of accomplishment, and the thought of being able to help more people had encouraged Isabela to become an apprentice for Aya.
Isabela noticed that the back door and the window shutters were closed. Her stomach squirmed inside her to realize that Señora Aya put Tío Bruno's comfort into consideration in a way that their own family usually didn't. At home, natural light flooded everywhere within Casita; no wonder Tío Bruno's migraines were always acting up. Isabela wondered if Señora Aya would try to enforce changes with the lighting at Casita when she would become her Tía Aya soon. Tío Bruno hadn't announced it yet, but Isabela could see the jade band around her left ring finger.
"Señora Aya, I've been studying this book about medicinal plants and fungi. I would like us to run through it, see if I'm missing anything," said Isabela.
Señora Aya grinned brightly at her. "That's very good. Yes, we could do that. In fact, I have plenty of books for you to study. Some of them, I even bought from outside."
Señora Aya guided Isabela to her canopy tent outside. There was a shelf full of tinctures and pastes and preserved plants. Isabela trembled with excitement. The older woman started to get Isabela familiarized with the medicines on display. Like Tío Bruno, Señora Aya did not have a physically imposing figure, but while Tío Bruno's green eyes and devious smile incited some degree of fear, Señora Aya's black clothes and straight posture commanded deference. Aya was even smaller than Abuela and Mirabel, but her long dress and shapely figure gave the illusion of height. Despite being much taller, Isabela felt like a child at school again. It was wonderful.
There was a portion of the shelf displaying medicinal plants from the Old World. "I've bought so many seeds and spores from the city. I haven't grown them all yet because I'm worried about them becoming invasive. Now, I don't get so many patients because most people don't recognize when something is wrong inside their heads and that it can be treated—to the best of my ability. Now, your tío, his melancholy is intense to a dangerous extent."
"I know about it. I've sat with him when he would take the tea that you've taught Mamá. And before that, when I was old enough, Mamá started talking to me about how he used to hurt himself," said Isabela in a small, scared voice.
Señora Aya held Isabela's hand and smiled at her. It reminded Isabela of her own mother.
"I'm going home, querida," Tío Bruno announced. "There might be people who want to peek at their futures today." He was now fully dressed, and his hair was neat and slightly damp.
"Buen día, mi llave," said Aya.
"Have fun, maravilla," Bruno said to Isabela, kissing her cheek first before moving on to Aya. They embraced and kissed like guaco vines. Isabela quickly looked away. She was not used to seeing her Tío Bruno's amorous side. He used to just quietly sip his coffee, heedless of his sisters flirting with their husbands like they were still fifteen and not fifty.
The two ladies spared a moment to watch Bruno walk away before Aya stood straight, scanning Isabela's appearance. "Good of you to braid your hair. It's important to keep our hair out of the way while working. I'd advise forgoing with the streaks; I will have you covering your hair when working, anyway. It's for hygiene."
"Of course. Understood."
"I'm also going to have an apron and a headscarf made for you. We will be doing plenty of cooking in this work."
"I look forward to it. I've been helping Mamá a lot in the kitchen lately. She said she learned a lot from you, too. And it became helpful during that time that we all lost our gifts."
Señora Aya smiled and shrugged. "I learned it from my ancestors. My family has been doing this for generations. They have even compiled all their knowledge in a book. Come on, I'll show you."
The older woman led Isabela back into the house. After a quick prayer in front of the home altar, Aya showed Isabela the book containing information on medicinal flora and common ailments and injuries. Isabela listened with rapt attention as Aya told stories of some of the most interesting cases from before the war and during the first five years of the Encanto.