"Bruno, may I come in?"

Julieta's voice sounded on the other side of the door a couple of hours after Mirabel left my room with a broken heart. I thought about crossing the sand and climbing that terrible staircase to dissuade my sister from trying to talk to me, but, being her, I'm sure she would climb it even if it was only to offer me an arepa. I should have gone to my hole, but… what if Mirabel had gone there too? And… honestly, did I still have the right to use it? After all the hurt I had done to her?

"Go in…"

Julieta entered, examined the bed of the shame, and then, sat on it with a smirk.

"So it was true…"

"What was?"

"The bed thing. I thought Mirabel was dramatizing a bit, but it's real: here it is."

"Mirabel has told you about… the bed?"

"She's told me about everything, hermano. How are you?"

Dead, probably.

"Everything?!"

"You know? I already knew how she felt about you."

"You… had she told you? Since when?"

"Ay, Bruno, you're as blind as she is. I've known how you both feel for a long time."

"She's felt that way about me for a long time?"

"What? Did you think it was a teenage whim and that in a couple of days she would go out with the first boy who crossed paths with her in town?"

"No, but…"

"She loves you, Bruno. She truly loves you."

"Why…? Why are you smiling? Why aren't you mad at me?"

"Why should I be? All you have done in this life with my daughter has been to love and protect her. Even today."

"I… But… She's my… And…"

"I know. The situation is not easy, and you have done exactly what I feared you were going to do."

"Feared?"

"Yes, I also suffer with her, hermano. You're not the only one who loves her."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be: I understand you."

"But I… I didn't want to… and… I've given her hope… and… it's all my fault."

"Right, I didn't expect you to kiss her."

"So she did tell you everything."

"I hope so."

"How is she?"

"Broken, but determined."

"Determined? What to?"

"To show you that you are the only chance she has to be happy. She can be very stubborn, you know?"

"Ay… Julieta… help me… I… I only want her to have a happy life. What can I do?"

"I guess you have two options. Let her convince you and make her happy, or convince her otherwise and let her be happy. The difference is that, in the second option, happiness only reaches one of the two of you."

"Julieta, you are a level-headed woman; you know I can't make her happy."

"I think that that information, only future knows about it."

"Future…"

"Now, it's all on you."

"I… I don't think I have the strength to see that."

"If you can't see it in a vision, where are you going to get the strength to see it in real life?"

"Maybe you are right. Maybe the solution is for me to leave."

"Sí, hermano, surely knowing that you are alone and completely unprotected being miserable in an unknown world does make her happy."

"What, then?!"

"Well, for now, it occurs to me that you can hug your sister and cry your sorrow. You don't have to suffer alone anymore, you know? I'm here for you."

That… that wasn't going to solve anything, but… for once, I just let myself fall and cry bitterly in my sister's arms. It hurt, it hurt a lot, but… in her embrace, I had the feeling that I would be able to move on.

"Tomorrow will be another day, hermano. Give yourself time to think."

That night I slept curled up submerged in that huge bed.

"Good morning, tío Bruno. Have you slept well today?"

Ouch… Hearing her call me 'tío' had never hurt so much.

"Goo… good morning, Mirabel," I answered bowing my head not knowing whether to feel sadness, anger, guilt, or shame.

"You both have terrible dark circles, what happened?" Abuela asked. "Julieta also had a horrible face this morning."

"Maybe they are noticing that everything is no longer full of lavender at night. Isabela also took care of us in her own way," Agustín said with a suspicious smile.

"Don't worry, Abuela. I'll go to bed early, today: it's not like I have anything better to do with my life."

Mirabel took an arepa, got up from the table before everyone's astonished gaze, and went toward the town.

"What's wrong today with that kid?" Camilo asked transformed into Abuela.

"Camilo?"

"Excuse me, señora," he said returning to normality under Abuela's satisfied smile of power."

"Toñito, can you go to talk to her?"

"Sure!"

Antonio went after Mirabel escorted by the half-jungle fauna and Abuela became serious.

"Familia, there is a very serious matter that we must deal with, but Antonio cannot know about it under any circumstances. It is something that affects us all and that, as much as the mood right now is not the best, we cannot ignore."

Oh, God, no… Abuela had found out, hadn't she?"

"We have to organize something special for Antonio's birthday."