Summary:
Gabriela recounts her family's past and the secret they keep.
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Written in Gabriela's POV.
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Before our hasty move to Encanto, the original Música Elena was a thriving music shop located in a busy ciudad. We lived in the capital, where all music lovers, young or old, passed by to get their fill of wonderful music. To a music aficionado, our shop was a little slice of heaven.
Music has always been part of my family. As cliché as it sounds, it's how Papá met Mamá. A musician and a singer, meeting each other on a stage by chance. Their love story made me believe that maybe I'll find someone special like that someday.
I thought I did, once. But I don't believe that anymore.
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"You okay, Julián?" I ask as I knock on his door. "I'm coming in."
I find him sitting on the edge of his bed, staring out the window. He doesn't budge even as I sit down next to him. "Come on. You can always tell your hermana what's bothering you."
Without missing a beat he turns his head to roll his eyes at me. "It's nothing, alright? And if there was…which I'm saying there isn't…I'm already sure you know. You don't need to pretend you don't know what's on my mind just to make me feel better."
I crinkle my nose at him. Tan molesto. "¡Diablo! A bit rude, aren't we?" I say, leaning closer to him. He continues to ignore me.
"You know, whatever it is, I'm okay. Our family is okay. And, you can at least compliment me on being such a good sister by asking." He knows I hate it whenever he mentions my "gift".
He sticks his tongue out and gives me a mock apologetic look. "Lo siento, Gabriela, bruja. You're such a good sister." He says it a little bit sarcastically and I nudge him so hard that he almost falls off the bed. A slight snort escapes him. There he is. "See, you knew."
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I don't know when my gift first manifested itself, but I've always been able to read people's minds for as long as I could remember. At first, my parents didn't believe me when I told them I could hear what they were thinking. They've always looked at me funny. It wasn't until Mamá was pregnant with Julián did they understand the gravity of my ability.
She was constantly sick then and no one could find anything wrong with her. The sickness even forced her to retire from singing. My parents were considering terminating the pregnancy when I stepped in and begged them not to because the baby told me they couldn't breathe. They were unconvinced, but I kept insisting. The doctors checked again, and sure enough, I was right. I managed to save both Mamá and my brother's life, and my parents believed me from then on. My gift was a miracle. Tu regalo es una bendición de Dios.
As I grew older, however, I realized that my gift came with a curse. I had to be careful not to let myself slip out of fear that someone would use me because I'll always know what's truly on their mind. I could never hide.
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"Still regretting the change of pace?" Julián asks me as we look out into the night, the twinkling lights of the whole town shining like stars.
"Hmm…no, not really."
We don't say much for a while, simply enjoying the silence. In all honesty, we both know everything isn't exactly what we're used to, but Encanto is our new home now, and we're here to stay.
I take a peek at Julián. He finally feels a little bit at ease, though I can still sense a tinge of regret. I ruffle his hair and he groans in annoyance at my antics. "Ay, Gabriela, I'm eighteen. Could you stop treating me like a baby?" I laugh.
"¿Qué es tan gracioso?" He frowns at me. I shake my head and pull him into a hug. He pretends to squirm away, but I don't let go. He gives in after a while and hugs me back.
I don't know what I'll do without my brother. I owe him so much.
"Siempre serás mi hermanito, pase lo que pase." I say, remembering the words Mamá said to me this morning, rephrasing it just for him.
Julián sighs. He knows I'm teasing, but we both know a little bit of that is true. "Lo sé, y siempre estaré aquí para ti."
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"Gabriela, can you please accompany your Mamá to the plaza today?" Papá asks me over breakfast.
"Mauricio, mi amor, puedo ir por mi cuenta," Mamá says. "I can handle myself. You might need Gabriela today."
He shakes his head. "Elena, mi vida, we're just going over some inventory today. I don't think Elitta is going to be of much help if Julián and I are just going to lug around heavy boxes all day." I look at him as if he has three heads — he knows I could carry more than my weight — before I catch the knowing look he gives me.
He's asking me to simply keep an eye on Mamá to ensure she doesn't try to buy everything in sight. A snort escapes me as I try to keep myself from laughing. Old habits die hard. He used to ask me to do the same thing when we still lived in the city.
Mamá's eyebrows raise quizzically at me. Julián catches my reaction in time and saves me and Papá from a potential interrogation at the table.
"Ay, look at the time. We'd better get going. I think we also have that tiple to fix from yesterday, no?"
"Ah, si. Señor Guzmán's heirloom tiple that needs a bit of tuning." Papá was quick to catch on to Julián's bluff. They both quickly leave the table, Julián grabbing their packed lunches on the kitchen counter while Papá gives Mamá a kiss that almost makes me throw up all over my migas.
"Mauricio? ¿Qué…?" Before she can even finish her sentence, Julián and Papá are already out the door.
She turns to look at me. Querido Dios, ayúdame. "You better tell me what your Papá was thinking."
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"Ay, that Mauricio," Mamá mutters under her breath as we walk towards the bustling plaza, baskets in hand. "Tiene suerte de que lo amo, ese tonto."
"Mamá." I shake my head at her as she keeps mumbling to herself. "I'm pretty sure the neighbors can hear you right now muttering like a madwoman. They might think you're going loca."
She frowns at me. "Gabriela Álvarez, have you forgotten your manners?"
"No, no, Mamá. You know what I mean," I say, trying to placate her. She huffs and quickly moves along, still fuming about Papá.
This is going to be a long day.
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Glossary of terms (in order of appearance in-text):
Ciudad - city/town
Hermana - sister
Tan molesto - So annoying
Diablo - devil (in this context: you devil)
Bruja - witch (in this context: you witch)
Tu regalo es una bendición de Dios - Your gift is a blessing from God
¿Qué es tan gracioso? - What's so funny?
Siempre serás mi hermanito, pase lo que pase - No matter what happens, you will always be my little brother
Lo sé, y siempre estaré aquí para ti - I know, and I will always be here for you
Puedo ir por mi cuenta - I can go on my own
Señor - mister
Migas - a dish traditionally made from stale bread and other ingredients in Spanish and Portuguese cuisines. A version of this served for breakfast in Colombia is Migas de Arepa.
Querido Dios, ayúdame - Dear God, help me
Tiene suerte de que lo amo, ese tonto - That fool, he's lucky that I love him