︵‿୨ - March 9 1951 - ୧‿︵
"Isa, Isa!"
Most people would probably have barely registered such a quiet sound. Especially if they were as exhausted as Isabela already was. Not Isabela. She knew that sound. She'd been carefully tuned to her prima's voice for years. Even dead asleep it only took the faintest squeak to rouse her.
"What is it Lolo?" Isabela mumbled. Peeling her aching muscles from the bed. Dolores was lucky Isabela had been too tired to raise the bed that night. What time was it? Why was Dolores bothering her so late at night?
"Isa this is an emergency I need your help."
It took a moment for Isabela's eyes to adjust to the dim light. To focus in on Dolores' face. She looked really anxious. What was she so worried about?
Isabela looked around for a second to get her bearings. Dolores was standing beside her bed. Hovering over her. She took a step back to give her space. Isabela rubbed her eyes and refocused them again before sitting up properly to address her.
"What kind of emergency requires me and literally nobody else?"
Dolores twiddled her fingers with an anxious little "Hm!" She was in her pajamas at least so whatever it was it caught her by surprise. Dolores wasn't usually surprised by much.
"Lolo sit down and tell me what's going on." Isabela instructed.
Dolores hopped into the bed beside her. Eager to share whatever gossip was burning her brain. This was hardly a new occurrence but it had been a while since the two of them had a proper late-night gossip session. Isabela wasn't expecting it but she didn't mind it. Despite her fatigue. Dolores was probably her favorite family member. Yes, yes, Isabela knew she wasn't supposed to have favorites. She didn't love her more, but she and Dolores shared everything since they were small. Isabela would tolerate the minor annoyance of being woken up late at night to indulge her favorite prima.
"Prometerme que no friquearse." Dolores prefaced.
"Prometo." Isabela groaned. Of course, she wasn't going to freak out. Dolores should know better by now than to ask something like that. She did all the time anyway. Like she thought one day Isabela would suddenly break a fifteen-year streak of kept secrets. That said Dolores never did forgive her for the umbrella incident.
Dolores chewed her lip as she thought of what to say. She looked really nervous, abnormally so. Isabela sat upright and turned to face her directly. Taking Dolores's hands and holding them on the bed between them.
"Lolo?"
"It's about Tío Bruno. I think he's about to make a huge mistake."
"You mean sleeping with that Fontana woman?" Isabela laughed. This wasn't news. Yes, it was some bad judgment on his part but that wasn't news. What was Dolores so worked up about?
"No! Dios, no." Dolores waved her hand in irritated dismissal. "I don't know how anyone believes that rumor." She put her hands on her hips and shot Isabela a judgmental look. "Honestly Isa, I thought you were smarter than that."
Isabela laughed and shoved Lolo's pouty face away. "Deja, ya! I'm tired alright? I've been too busy for chisme."
Dolores pushed her hand away. She wasn't laughing. She looked frustrated and worried.
"This isn't about Jacqueline." Dolores explained. "It's about su hermana."
"The librarian?" Isabela had seen him around occasionally. Wilfredo Fontana. He seemed like a gentleman. Unlike her bumbling Pa, Wilfredo could actually pull it off. Isabela had been spending a lot of time in the fields and had mostly just caught him in passing. He was with Luisa and Jacqueline when Bruno got hurt by the river. Isabela still regretted not growing a cactus in Señor Morales's left testicle. Abuela was probably right about murder though.
Wilfredo was at Mirabel's birthday party. It was the one time Isabela really spoke to Wilfredo. He seemed nice. They had a long chat about botany. He knew a surprising amount about the subject. Suffice to say, that was a good sign in Isabela's book. Anyone who appreciated plants had to have something going for them.
Isabela grew silent. She tried to process what she thought Dolores might be implying.
"Espera, Is he sleeping with the librarian?" She blurted out in disbelief.
Dolores shrunk back and fidgetted with her fingers again. "No… Pero creo que quizá he wants to…" She punctuated her hesitant reply with an uncertain squeak.
Isabela felt like a pit had been planted in her gut. Is that the mistake Dolores was so worried about? Was Dolores afraid for him? Or of him?
"Isa?"
"I just... wasn't expecting that." Isabela replied honestly. The pit was getting bigger, heavier, taking root. She was surprised but at the same time not really. It certainly explained a few things. She loved her Tío. This didn't change anything. Nothing would change that. Dolores loved him too right? She still loved him, didn't she?
"I know I shouldn't spy and I do my best to tune them out most of the time." Dolores defended. "But he didn't turn up for breakfast this morning and he didn't come home last night. I was worried about him." Dolores was rambling now. It took some focus for Isabela to try and pay attention to what she was saying.
"You should have heard the things Wilfredo said to him." Dolores gushed.
Isabela felt that pit bloom. She recognized the tone in her prima's voice.
"It was so romantic! He even wrote him poetry Isa. Poetry!" Lolo gushed urgently.
Isabela's smile widened. Watching Dolores spin her wheels. She'd always been obsessed with a good love story. She and Mariano really were a perfect fit. Two hopeless romantics with more heart than brains.
"Eso es tan cursi!" Isabela laughed.
Dolores pouted. "You don't understand. Serían una gran pareja." Dolores whined. "Isa he's perfect and Bruno's just gonna throw all that away!"
Isabela stopped laughing.
"What do you mean?"
"He told Wilfredo they couldn't be together. He's afraid of what it'll do to la familia."
There it was. Isabela's little blossom grew sour. The roots were strangling her insides.
"He's just going to let this man walk out of his life like nothing happened." Dolores maligned.
"Isn't that the responsible thing to do?" Isabela replied passively. She pulled her hair over her shoulder to comb through it with her fingers.
Dolores raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you want to do the responsible thing? Or the right thing?" She challenged.
Isabela replied with a faint but mischievous smile. Petals filled her stomach. This was why Dolores was her favorite.
︵‿୨ - March 17 1951 - ୧‿︵
That was a week ago. Isabela told Dolores to give her some time to assess the situation for herself. Unfortunately, she'd been so busy fighting the blight lately that it was hard to get a lot of time with her tío. Or Señor Fontana for that matter. Dolores was keeping her updated on the latest developments. She'd apparently overheard some pretty incriminating stuff. It didn't sound like their feelings weren't very ambiguous. Wilfredo was ignoring Bruno right now though. They were still doing story hour together but Wilfredo never spoke to Bruno outside of what was necessary. He kept everything detached and professional. Dolores said Bruno had been quiet lately. She said he gets quiet when he's upset.
Bruno liked men. That was still a weird thing to know about him. Tío Bruno was always so sweet and unassuming. Growing up he'd always encouraged Isabela's creativity, her spirit, sometimes to Abuela's frustration. She didn't like seeing him in trouble. Isabela would do what Abuela wanted if it meant Tío Bruno stayed out of trouble… He was so sweet and supportive. He never needed her to be perfect. He loved her just like she was.
Bruno deserved the same. He deserved to be supported and loved unconditionally.
Maybe the rest of the family wouldn't take it well. Maybe Abuela would be mad. Isabela didn't care. She was going to support her tío. The rest of the family could deal with it. If they wouldn't support Bruno, Isabela would.
"Estás bien Isa?"
Lucero's voice pulled Isabela from her trailing thoughts. She'd been so lost in thought. She hadn't noticed the way her hands had sunk into the soil. Her fingers were gripping at the roots tight enough it started to hurt.
Isa pulled her hands back. "Lo siento." She apologized to the poor, sick, stalk of corn.
Her latest patient was still aching from the blight. A fungal infection that was already spreading through their stalk. With her hands pulled away from the roots Isabela at least could get a break from the pain. Handling the sick crops felt like cotton choking her veins. Nevertheless, she was determined to find a way to fight off the blight. She hadn't yet, but she would find a way.
Isabela rubbed the tender ache in her forearms. Probing at the veins with her thumbs till she could feel the blood circulate again.
"Just distracted today that's all." She sighed as Lucero came to sit beside her.
Luz was a farmer. She'd been working in these fields since she was little. Ever since she got her powers back Isabela'd been trying to test her limits. She wanted to do something useful for once. Luz was useful.
"You wanna tell me what's on your mind?"
"It's just Tío Bruno." Isabela confessed. "I've wanted to spend time with him lately but I've just been too busy." It wasn't a lie exactly. She missed Bruno when he left. It felt like a hole had opened up in Isabela's life that was only starting to be filled in. It wasn't the same as when she was a kid. Nothing was the same. As much as everyone was trying to act like it was. "He gets into trouble a lot. I've just been worried about him."
Isabela reached a hand up to inspect the dark patches on the stock of corn she'd been working on. They weren't getting any bigger at least. Not any smaller either. She needed to start seeing some improvements soon. Abuela was already talking about corn rations. Isabela tried to tell her she could handle this. The old woman was clearly skeptical. Abuela said she believed in her. That rations were just a precaution. Isabela knew a lie when she saw it.
A sudden hand on her chin pulled her focus away from the crops.
Lucero tilted Isabela's head to face her. She furrowed her brow and made a displeased expression. Pulling a rag from her back pocket she brought it to Isabela's face.
"Pepa's gonna lose it if she sees you bleeding like that." Luz explained. She dabbed at Isabela's upper lip with her sweat rag. It wasn't very sanitary but Isabela didn't mind the smell.
"Oh." Was all she could say.
Tía Pepa worked in the fields since she was a kid. She was usually the one to pull Isabela away from her work at the end of the day. On her first day out here, Pepa had been the one showing her the ropes. She got distracted with Félix came to check-in. Those two were worse than teenagers. Luz noticed Isabela seemed a bit unsure what to do with herself and offered her some direction.
Luz pulled back once she was done and Isabela reached up a hand to touch her face. She hadn't noticed her nose had been bleeding. That was happening more and more lately.
"Tal vez deberías dejarlo por hoy." Luz suggested. She laid down in the grass and propped herself up on her elbow.
Isabela groaned and sat back on her hands. Ever since she'd started working in the fields Luz had a habit of making Isabela feel inadequate. She had literal magic, yet somehow she was constantly getting tips from a regular farmer. Isabela's powers had their limits. She was still learning them. It hurt her pride to realize how little she actually knew about her new job.
"You've been at this all week. Just take the day off and go hang out with tus hermanas or something." Luz pleaded
"I can't just take the day off." Isabela complained. "La roya doesn't rest. I can't either. Abuela's already talking about rationing. She doesn't think I can do it."
Luz sighed and popped her lips thoughtfully. Isabela opened one eye to peek down at her while Luz thought. She had a boy's hair cut. Short and shaved in the back. She kept the rest greased back cause she couldn't stand having it in her face while she worked. She wore printed shorts and short sleeve button-downs. Men's clothes.
They'd gone to school together. Isabela remembered how Luz managed to destroy all of her skirts. Climbing trees. Playing in the mud. Harassing local wildlife. She was a wild child. Isabela didn't get to play with her much. Most days she was afraid to stand near Luz and get her dress dirty. Isabeala was glad, around their teens, Luz's parents stopped trying to force her into dresses. She always seemed much more comfortable in pants.
Luz really filled out since their school days. She was as flat as a board in school. Isabela started growing boobs by the time she was thirteen. Abuela helped her find clothes that kept them more obscured when she confessed how comfortable her male classmates were making her. Luz's boobs were a decent size now. A bit obscured by her baggy shirts. Looking down at her like this Isabela could see the curve of Luz's unrestrained breasts through open buttons.
"I'm starting to think it might be time to just cut our losses. Burn the crop so it doesn't spread any further." Luz admitted casually.
Isabela looked away when Luz turned to face her again. Isabela didn't like being stared at. She should stare at other people. She rolled her eyes. "Eres una bruta." She chastised.
"What?" Luz complained. Ripping up the grass with her fingers. "We've had infections before, this is just what you do."
"Maybe you do." Isabela protested. Crossing her arms. "I refuse to turn my back on my patients." Plants could feel so much more than most people realized. They spoke to each other through their roots. Shared their bliss and their woes. Her mother would never just kill a person to keep them from spreading their sickness. The notion was absurd.
Yet this is what people did. For years. Maybe she wasn't cut out for farm work. She'd never admit that to Luz.
"Isa it keeps spreading. At this rate, we're gonna lose half the harvest."
"I can do this!" Isabela snapped.
A hand came to rest around her jaw. Fingers curling around the nape of her neck. It sent a slight shiver down her spine that she did her best to hide. Isabela turned to see Luz sitting up to meet her eyes.
"I know you can." She said.
That meant more to Isabela than probably it should have. Why didn't they ever play in school? How come they didn't eat their lunches together? Have sleepovers in Isabela's flower bed. What a wasted childhood.
Luz gave her a gentle encouraging smile. She ran her fingers through Isabela's hair. Combing out sweaty knots near the roots.
"You're one person Isa. Even with your gift. You're just one person." Luz pulled her hand away. Isabela wilted a little. "You're going to hurt yourself if you keep this up."
"No one believes me." Isabela lamented. She gripped at her skirt with her fingers. "Everyone thinks I'm just for show. I know I can do this. I want to do something useful. Just once."
Luz sighed and shook her head. "You're so stubborn."
"I don't wanna hear that from you." Isabela teased.
Luz smiled and rubbed the back of her neck. She leaned forward onto her knee.
"Didn't you use to help Abuela with council stuff?" Luz asked her.
"Sí, what's your point?"
"If you really wanna make yourself useful, just go see what Mirabel's up to. I'm sure you could help her with something." Luz suggested.
Isabela gawked opened mouthed. "Cómo te atreves!" She teased. She'd prick the woman with a well-timed cactus if she wasn't so exhausted. God, she really was tired. It was still so early in the day. "Trying to get rid of me!" Isabela settled for swatting the back of Luz's head.
"Cedo! Cedo!" Luz laughed. Dodging Isabela's clumsy swats.
Isabela fell forward on her hands panting from the exertion. She hummed reluctantly to herself. "Maybe a break isn't a terrible idea."
What was Mirabel doing today again?
"That's it!" She lunged forward to wrap her arms around Luz's neck. "Luz you're a genius!"
"Uh… Gracias? I thought I was una bruta pero acepto el cumplido."
"I need to go talk to Mirabel."
"De nada?" Luz called back in confusion as Isabela darted off down the road.
︵‿୨ -❇- ୧‿︵
Mirabel was doing wellness checks today. Wellness checks meant she'd be checking on Señor Robledo. Which meant they'd be visiting the library. Which meant Isabela could finally get a chance to interrogate their target. She trusted Dolores's judgment but Isabela wanted to get a feel for the situation herself before pushing Bruno to action. Besides, Isabela needed to decide if this man was good enough for her favorite tío.
It didn't take long for her to lose all the air in her lungs. Still, she made it to the plaza right as Mirabel was preparing to start her rounds. Talking with their Mamá and stocking up on supplies for a few people.
"Dios mío! Mija are you alright!?" Mamá exclaimed as Isabela stopped short of her cart.
Isabela held up a finger. Pausing to catch her breath.
"Wow, you look terrible." Mirabel observed.
Isabela grinned bitterly. "Gracias, I hadn't noticed." She replied sarcastically.
She was about to say more. To accuse her baby sister of taking glee in her shabby appearance. Mirabel was always jealous of her. Mamá shoved an arepa into her mouth before Isabela could get the barbs out. She took a frustrated bite and felt the irritation melt away as the ache in her muscles eased.
"Gracias Mamá." She mumbled as she reached up to grab the arepa and hold it properly.
"You need to start pacing yourself." Mamá scolded. She reached up with her apron to wipe Isabela's face. More blood. It surprised her the first time it happened. Now she barely registered the nose bleeds anymore.
"I've got this Ma." Isabela whined as her mother brushed stray hairs from her face. She'd try to brush off her mother's doting but knew that would be a vain effort.
"You're doing wellness checks today, sí?" Isabela asked. She wasn't going to give her mother time for a lecture.
"Uh, sí? I mean I had to sit through a meeting this morning. I was about to start my rounds." Mirabel explained. She looked over her clipboard then checked her bag again. "Mamá, I need Señor Robledo's pain treatment."
"Right here." Mamá replied. She turned back to her cart. Pulling up the table cloth she reached to the shelf underneath to produce a small cloth pouch. "Ask him for the old bag back so I can refill it." She explained.
"Will do." Mirabel smiled. Taking the small bundle and tucked it into her bag.
"Bueno, vamos entonces." Isabela was in a hurry. They'd have to get through a few houses first. She wanted enough time to talk to the new librarian.
Mirabel looked back at her dumbfounded. "Vamos?"
Isabela rolled her eyes. "I'm coming with you to do the wellness checks."
Mirabel scrunched up her face in confusion and fidgeted with her clipboard. "Did Abuela tell you to do that? Cause I can do them just fine on my own."
"No." Isabela explained frustratingly slowly. "I'm trying to pace myself." She lied to her mother's delight. "I figured I could take a break today and spend some time with mi hermanita más pequeña."
"Gracias!" Mamá breathed.
Mirabel smirked and crossed her arms. "Bien, Camilo. Nice try."
Isabela merely crossed her arms back and smiled.
Mirabel's smirk faded back to a look of bewilderment. "Uh, Bueno entonces. Vamos."
︵‿୨ -❇- ୧‿︵
They had a few stops to get through before reaching the library. An elderly couple with no children. A disabled single mother. A few families with new babies that needed check in's. The usual. Isabela used to do the wellness checks before Mirabel started training for the council. In hindsight, it made her wonder why Abulea never properly trained Isabela for the position. She'd given her some of those jobs but nothing like what Mirabel was doing. Hours of paperwork, council meetings. Real, important, responsibilities.
Did Abuela not trust her? What made Mirabel so special?
Isabela shook the thought from her head. She was trying to be a better sister. She couldn't waste time on immature feelings like that. Mirabel was doing well. She was appreciated and seemed to be thriving in her new role. Isabela was happy for her. She wanted to be happy for her.
"Alright, first stop."
Isabela was snapped out of her thoughts. She looked up at Maldonado house. It was one of the nicer homes in town. A bit larger than most though still nothing compared to Casita. It was common for more influential families. The more you provide for the community, the more people like you. The more people like you, the more they do things for you. The bigger the house.
The patriarch of the family was a doctor in a former life. The town depended on him in its early days. Even when Mamá got her gift people still depended on him at first. Mamá needed time to develop her craft and he taught her a lot about medicine. He was retired these days. Had been for years. His family still had a very positive reputation, and his children still worked closely with Mamá. He was pretty old though. Was something wrong with him?
Isabela peered over her hermanita's shoulder at the clipboard.
"This house isn't on the list." She complained when she failed to see the Maldonado family anywhere.
Mirabel pulled her clipboard up to her chest and jerked away from her. "Ay! I don't tell you how to do your job!"
"This was my job for years, remember?" Isabela groaned.
Mirabel hugged her clipboard. She looked a bit insecure but was trying to hide it. Isabela was very good at reading people. Mirabel's thinly veiled insecurity wasn't new. Though it did hit a bit differently this time. Isabela almost felt a little guilty. She never liked this job. It was boring and required a lot of fake smiles. She didn't want Mirabel's job.
"There's just someone I want to check on." Mirabel defended.
Isabela was going to retort. The open door stopped her as she put on her best mask. The one she used to wear every day. The one she used when she did this job.
"Buenas tardes." Isabela chimed. The door creaked open to reveal a scrawny teenage boy. Oscar, he was what? Seventeen? A little older than Mirabel she knew that. Isabela had seen him around town. She knew he had a bad reputation. She'd never seen the boy with anything less than the sourest of expressions. He looked… wrong.
He hunched forward. Obscuring most of himself behind the door. Only opening it just far enough for his face to be seen. His eyes looked sunken in and bloodshot. His hair was greasy and unkempt. His curls had deflated and now hung limply in his face. He had the early stages of a scraggly beard forming which Isabela had never seen him with before.
She didn't know this boy very well but something was wrong. Something was very wrong. He looked like Bruno. From before. Like the man, they pulled from the walls. He looked empty.
Oscar was quick to shoot Mirabel an exasperated glare.
"Oh, it's you."
Mirabel looked back at Isabela for a second. She was trying to decide what she could say in front of Isabela. What's going on here?
"You haven't been in class all week." Mirabel replied carefully. "Señor Delgado wanted me to check on you. Make sure you were ok." She said.
It was subtle but Isabela could catch a hint of Oscar's lower jaw shuffling. Like he was grinding his teeth. He drummed his fingers on the wood of the door. Señor Delgado had asked no such thing. If she had Oscar would have been on the list.
"Pa wanted me home. He needs help around the house." Oscar paused for a minute. He was thinking of a lie. He wasn't very subtle. "We've been doing renovations."
"Is that all?" Mirabel asked skeptically. "I can see if we can get someone else to come over and help. I'm sure Señor Morales would be happy to help. Your education's important."
Morales was a garbage person. Still, a decent carpenter. Now that his wife was gone he had plenty of free time on his hands. Isabela had to restrain the smirk that tried to escape her when she thought of the divorce. People didn't get divorced often in this town. Being such a rarity it had been the center of gossip for a while. It was certainly satisfying seeing Señor Morales get the treatment he deserved.
"We don't need your help." Oscar spat.
Mirabel tensed. She restrained some biting reply. "Oscar, por favor, just talk to me."
Oscar looked down at the ground and winced before looking back up at her. "No somos amigos Mirabel." He replied.
Mirabel hugged her clipboard to her chest. That comment hurt. It hurt a lot. She was trying not to show it. Oscar looked over at Isabela. She felt a cold snap overtake her when their eyes met. Something was very wrong with this boy. She didn't know what but something was very wrong.
"Isabela." Oscar nodded courteously.
"Hola. I'm just helping Mirabel with her rounds today. I can give you two some space to talk if you need." Isabela replied sweetly. No hint of the anxious tendrils slowly constricting her insides like a parasite.
"No, es bueno, we're done here." Oscar replied. He slammed the door shut.
Mirabel let out a frustrated growl before storming off.
"What was that?" Isabela demanded once they were out of earshot of the house.
"I don't know!" Mirabel bemoaned. Pulling at her face. "I don't know what's going on but something's not right. I know it."
"Ah, seguro." Isabela agreed. Keeping pace with her fast-walking hermanita. "He's obviously not ok."
"Verdad?!" Mirabel came to an abrupt stop and spun around in exasperation. "He keeps acting out. Getting into trouble. He was stealing mierda. Who does that? Why would anyone in this town need to steal?"
"Don't let Pa hear you talking like that." Isabela warned.
Mirabel groaned. She rubbed her temples. "I feel like I'm going loco. The council's talking about kicking him out when he turns eighteen. There's obviously something wrong but he won't tell me anything and it's like no one else even cares what happens to him."
"Mira." Isabela ordered.
Mirabel's face snapped up to meet her.
"He's just a kid Isa." Mirabel pleaded hopelessly.
Isabela felt herself wilting from the waves of desperate sadness that radiated off her hermanita. Mirabel was always a sensitive little kid. Determined, for certain, but so deeply empathetic. Sometimes to her own self detriment. She was right. Painfully correct. The fact other people weren't seeing this was mind-blowing.
"I believe you." Isabela told her.
Mirabel looked down sadly. "I don't know what to do." She confessed.
"We'll figure something out."
"You're going to help me?" Mirabel asked in timid, hopeful, disbelief.
"Of course." Isabela rolled her eyes and smiled. Shrugging off the frail emotions Mirabel threatened to pull from her. Isabela was anything but frail. Mirabel was right. Isabela would do whatever she could to help her. After dealing with Bruno's situation of course. Of course, she still needed to work on the blight. It didn't matter. She'd find the time.
Mirabel surprised her with a hug which Isabela reciprocated.
"Gracias." Mirabel breathed.
"De nada."
Mirabel was going to make a good council member someday.
︵‿୨ -❇- ୧‿︵
The rest of the stops were far less eventful. The usual boring junk Isabela was used to. A couple of people she used to see every week seemed happy to see her. Her presence really slowed them down as people tried to catch up with her. She was friendly and pleasant. Like always. These people didn't really know her though. No one did. She resented having to smile and talk about an old lady's cats for twenty minutes, but, these people loved her. It wasn't their fault they didn't know. It wouldn't be fair to take away the girl they knew. Especially when some of them didn't get much company.
Like Diego Robledo for example.
He lived alone. Not many people stopped by the library. He wasn't normally much of a talker but he always loved Isabela's flowers. Don Diego once told her she looked like his daughter. Isabela somehow doubted that. Robledo could think whatever he wanted. It made him feel better. Isabela would be the perfect daughter if that's what he needed.
What surprised Isabela was the sound of laughter as they approached the library.
Diego had pulled a chair outside where he sat among the flowers Isabela had made for him years ago. Still scattered about in pots and baskets in front of Diego's house. Filling up his balcony. He was laughing and smiling. Sitting out in the sunshine. Isabela had made him smile before but she'd never seen him so lively.
She turned to see Señor Fontana leaning out the window and smiling back at him. His head snapped up to look at them.
"Hola chicas." Wilfredo called out.
"Hola Wilfredo." Mirabel waved. She knew Wilfredo better than Isabela did. Certainly spent more time with him.
"El chico está tratando de matarme!" Diego laughed and coughed.
Wilfredo rested his cheek in his hand. Crossing his arms over the counter in front of the window. He looked back at the old man affectionately. "How was I supposed to know you were so weak to puns?" He teased.
Deigo liked puns? It made sense. He was old. A teacher. A librarian. Why didn't Isabela know that?
"Tienes que cuidar tu bocota." Deigo pointed his cane back at Wilfredo. Playfully threatening him.
"Perdón for running late today." Mirabel apologized. She reached into her bag to retrieve the wavers Diego used to manage the pain in his leg.
"Está bien mija." Diego assured gently. He held out his hand to take the parcel. He turned his attention to Isabela and greeted her with a sad smile she'd seen many times before. "Isabela, so good to see you."
"I thought I'd help Mirabel with her rounds today." Isabela smiled sweetly before leaning down to hug the old man's shoulders. Whispering loud enough for everyone to hear. "Between you and me I just wanted an excuse to see mi bibliotecario favorito."
Diego's chuckle was gentle. He patted the arm that hung around his shoulder.
Wilfredo had a soft, warm, smile. He seemed pleased to see the old man so happy.
"Shouldn't you be at the plaza by now?" Mirabel asked Wilfredo. "If la tablas de ratas haven't already started they should be starting soon."
Right. Dolores mentioned that. Wilfredo never missed a show until recently.
His face went blank for a fraction of a second before he replied with a friendly smile. "I've been a bit busy this morning so I was thinking I'd sit this one out."
"Tonterías. You already double-checked and triple-checked your résumé. What else have you got to do today." Diego gripped.
Wilfredo was lying. Interesting. Thank you, Diego.
"I have to make sure you don't die from my masterful puns." Wilfredo replied evenly. His sarcastic reply didn't skip a beat. "Besides, if I leave now they'll already be on the second act by the time I get there. I'd rather not bother at that point."
"Nothing less than perfection, eh?" Diego grumbled. Shifting his weight in his chair.
"It's not that." Wilfredo argued. "I just don't want to spoil my enjoyment."
Isabela stood up straight and rested her arm on the back of Robledo's chair. She had some tests to run.
"I thought you loved the tablas?" Isabela challenged. She was showing her hand a bit considering she and Wilfredo hadn't spoken much. That said, considering how easily rumors spread in this town, in her family, she figured she could get away with it.
"Sí." It was subtle but Wilfredo's reply was slower than usual. He was reluctant to answer. "Precisely why I don't want to have them ruined for me."
An interesting choice of words.
"That's too bad." Mirable replied. "I hope you can make the next one."
"I'll certainly try." Wilfredo smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. His hands interlaced in front of him. He wasn't normally one to fidget. His fingers were just slightly too active. Drumming their tips along his knuckles.
Mirabel suddenly recalled their Mamá's instructions. "Oh, Señor Robledo, I need your old pouch back so Mamá can refill it."
Diego looked up at her and took a bite of one of the wavers from the pouch. "I would but it's not empty."
"Oh?"
"Sí." Diego replied. "Leg's been doing a lot better lately."
"Así?"
"I've been helping him make trips to the market. I figured the exercise would help." Wilfredo explained
"Sí, sí, eres muy inteligente." Diego groaned. "Save your bragging for people who care chico."
Wilfredo's face was consumed by a big toothy grin. His head hung in mock shame.
"I guess that answers my other question." Mirabel replied. Checking her clipboard. "I'm guessing you don't need anything delivered?"
"No mija, estoy bein." Diego replied. He popped the other half of the wafer into his mouth and chewed passively.
Isabela had been visiting Diego for years. She'd never seen him quite so relaxed and happy. Sure she'd found ways to make him smile. It was always a kind of soft, quiet, contentment. Diego always seemed so bittersweet.
Wilfredo was taking good care of Señor Robledo. No one else ever did that. Isabela would visit him once a week. Make him smile, then be on her way. Why was she so inadequate?
No. No time for self-pity. She came here with a purpose. She wanted to know if this man was a good fit for her tío.
Well...
Wilfredo was skipping the tablas. Isabela knew he was mad at Bruno. Somewhat understandably, if Bruno made the first move just to get cold feet. He said he didn't want to ruin the tablas. They're important to him. At least they were. Judging by his hesitant reply she had a feeling they still were.
Don Diego was usually an unpleasant old man. Most people wouldn't go out of their way for him. Always curt or rude. People had their own problems to deal with and he didn't want people's pity. He was prideful and stubborn. Wilfredo made Diego laugh. He made him smile. He was sitting in the sunshine. He was walking around town. Friendly and warm. He was thriving. Wilfredo Fontana did that. It had to take a lot of patience and kindness to do something like that.
Bruno could use some patience and kindness.
Isabela made up her mind. It was time for an intervention. This cold shoulder game had gone on long enough. If Bruno wasn't going to fix things himself he clearly needed help.
︵‿୨ -❇- ୧‿︵
After finishing the wellness checks with Mirabel Isabela decided to go home for the day. Rest up in her room till Dolores got home so they could plot. Her muscles still ached. She felt a little better when her Mamá had fed her but by the time she was home, the pain was back. Honestly, she didn't mind just laying in bed staring at the ceiling for a while. She had a glass roof like a greenhouse. Not on the outside of course, but inside the house. She could soak up the sunshine while she formulated a plan.
She shared her thoughts with Lolo while she waited. By the time Dolores got back she told Isabela she knew the perfect evidence to get Bruno to confess.
There's no way he'd own up to something like this without a push. Even knowing about Dolores's gift he'd try to deny it if they didn't show some proof. They just needed a minute to search his room.
"He's in the hall right now. Outside Abuela's room." Dolores explained.
"What's he doing?"
"Wilfredo is here. He's talking to Abuela, offering to help her and Mira go over last year's corn consumption and this year's crop projections so they can-"
"Sí, sí, boring math stuff I get it." Isabela hand waved. "Does Wilfredo come over often?"
"Often enough." Dolores answered. "He and Jacqueline both hang out with Bruno a lot. Honestly he does a lot of favors for people. Not just our family. He gets all over town."
"Huh." Isabela logged that away in her brain. She needed to pay more attention to him in the future.
"Un memento." Dolores held up a finger before scurrying out of the room. After a minute or two, she poked her head back in. "Camilo's distracting him for us. We can go check his room."
"Did you tell Camilo about Bruno?" Isabela asked once they were in Bruno's room.
She grew banana leaves from her arms to block the falling sand as they passed the threshold.
"No. I don't need to. Camilo does what I ask. I don't need to tell him anything."
"Cold." Isabela replied bluntly.
"It's practical." Dolores replied as they began their assent. "This is a delicate situation. It's best not to involve more people than necessary. Besides, he still thinks Bruno's with Jacqueline and that's probably for the best."
Isabela laughed and shook her head. In hindsight, she wasn't quite sure how she'd managed to believe such a silly rumor. Jacqueline was certainly not Bruno's type. She was loud and crass and rough. Wilfredo was gentle and warm and kind. He'd be a perfect fit if only he were a woman. Then again… he wouldn't be Bruno's type either if he were a woman. Would he?
"Es razonable." Isabela conceded. "Do you know where the letter is?"
"I'm pretty sure I know where he hid it."
︵‿୨ -❇- ୧‿︵
Unfortunately, that meant a lot of stairs. Isabela didn't go in Bruno's room much. As a kid he never let her, or any of the kids for that matter, climb the stairs. He insisted it was too high and the railing wasn't secure enough. Sometimes he'd let them play on the first floor though. It looked better now. Furnished with water and plants. When Isabela was a kid you could barely make out the tiles through all the sand. The wooden stairs stretched out like tendrils choking out the colorful stone. She didn't know if the pool in the middle was new or if it was like that once before. The plants were new. She liked them. She'd have to come by later and give them a little tender love and care.
Bruno's room was mercifully not at the top of the tower. Looking down Isabela felt like it should have taken longer to get this high up though. It felt a bit like the room was playing tricks on her. Bruno's room was… Well, it was something. The room where he slept was a small cubby in the wall. A curtain hung over the entrance and inside it was dark and cluttered. A hoard of rats scurried to the corners when they pushed the curtain away to let the light flood in.
This was how Bruno lived for years though wasn't it?
Was this what made him comfortable? A dark hole in the wall?
The rats peeked their heads out to examine the girls. A few quickly returned to whatever it was they were doing. A few kept their eyes locked on Isabela and Dolored. One especially fat rat with orange teeth sat on the foot of the bed with its legs tucked under itself. It looked Isabela dead in the eye, head swaying slightly. It looked like it was challenging her.
"Found it!" Dolores chimed. She produced an envelope with a green seal from Bruno's dresser drawer.
Isabela pulled her arms around herself. She could feel those tendrils crawling up her insides. The rats were right to stare. They were right to judge.
"Dolores?" She asked hesitantly. "D-did you ever see it?"
"See what?"
"His room, in the walls?" Isabela struggled to keep her voice steady as she asked. "It's not there anymore, but, did you ever see it." She'd heard about it. Heard it was small and cramped. Filled with rats. A bit like this room. But worse. Full for cracks. He'd been patching the cracks. Even all alone in the dark, he was always trying to protect them.
"No." Dolores confessed. She looked down at the floor. A suffocating silence filled the space.
"I-I should have said something." Dolores confessed after a moment.
"Lolo."
"I knew he was hurting. Sabía que no estaba bien. Nada respecto a esto está bien." Her voice grew shrill as she shook like leaf.
Isabela went to hug her prima.
"I could have done something." Dolores sniffled. Forcing back tears.
Isabela took her by her shoulders and looked Dolores in the eye. "That doesn't matter now." She assured her. "We were just kids." They were just kids. They were all just kids, weren't they?
"What matters is that we can help him now. So let's focus on what we can do. Okey?"
Dolores pulled herself together like she always did. She nodded resolutely. The creaking door echoed through the tower. The girls hid against the wall on either side of the entrance. They were going to do some good for once.
︵‿୨ -❇- ୧‿︵
It didn't take long for Bruno to shamble into his cave. He looked so tired and defeated. He shuffled past them without notice and collapsed onto his bed.
Isabela nodded to Dolores before stepping out into the open doorway and clearing her throat.
Bruno bolted upright in bed. He went from shock to resigned frustration once he saw it was her. He let out a long sigh.
"What have I said about my room? Why can't anyone just leave me alone."
"We needed to talk to you." Isabela explained.
Bruno sat upright and cracked his neck. "And you couldn't just knock?" He paused. "Wait how long have you been in here?" He whipped his head around. "Have you been snooping!"
"Maybe." Isabela confessed. "It's for your own good."
Bruno's face snapped back to her. He froze in place. "Perdone?"
"We know about your little secret Tío."
"W-what secret? I don't have any secrets. I don't know what you're talking about."
And there it was, the rambling. Isabela knew he would do this.
"Dolores." She chimed.
On cue, Dolores stepped into the light. All the color left Bruno's face as he turned his attention to her.
"Look, mija, whatever you think you heard, I can explain…"
"The evidence." Isabela instructed.
Dolores produced the envelope with the green seal and Bruno's eyes went wide. He lunged forward to try and snatch it back.
"You were snooping! Give that back!" He barked. More assertive than Isabela was used to seeing him. Still not enough to deter her.
With a snap of her fingers, vines broke free from the packed earth under their feet and snatched Bruno up. Restraining him to his reading chair. It stung a little, growing vines in such an arid inhospitable place. It wouldn't have been anything if Isabela wasn't so tired. The vines weren't her best work but Bruno was thankfully very weak and easily restrained.
"You girls are going to be in so much trouble when-"
Any threats of telling their mothers died in his throat once Dolores unfolded the paper she retrieved from the envelope and began to read. Isabela wasn't quite sure what she was expecting. She knew what Dolores had told her, and yet… What she heard, she still, somehow, wasn't quite prepared for.
"A mi encaprichamiento más reciente." The letter began.
A wave of shame washed over Bruno's face. Blooming bright red. He looked down at the ground. Hiding behind his hair and gritting his teeth. His hands clenched into fits against the arms of his chair.
"Él es un ángel, declaro
Mi alma dice es verdad
Tal vez es débil amparo
Ante cruda realidad
Erudito errante
Eso es mera ilusión
Sufrimiento mi cruel maestro
Tuve lujuria sin pasión
Tal cual criminal siniestro
Error, dolor constante
Mi ensueño es tan cierto
Pues no eres fantasía
Mi milagro manifiesto
Yo no lo concebiría
De ser como tu, deseante
Hombre de pura mirada
Desprovisto de careta
De rareza codiciada
Que da su amor sin treta
De tu ser, soy anhelante"
The letter closed with "Mis sinceros saludos, tu rata de biblioteca."
Dolores stood open-mouthed for as she stared down at what she had just read. Isabela was silent too at first. Dolores knew about the poem. She knew what it was from Bruno's reaction. She hadn't heard its contents. Isabela hadn't quite been prepared for just how, intimate, it was.
Mariano wrote her poetry when they were courting. It was never anything like this. It was all flowery bluster about her radiance and beauty. He was right of course, but this was something else.
She wasn't quite certain she understood all of it but the line "Tuve lujuria sin pasión" made her blush. This wasn't a little boy's poem about pretty flowers. It was brooding, and melancholic, and yearning. It was intense in a way Mariano's poetry never was. Isabela never much liked poetry. She learned to read and write it because it pleased her Abuela to see her learning the craft. She wasn't prepared for that.
"Lo siento." Bruno spoke barely above a whisper. His face never left the floor. "I never meant to expose you girls to this sort of thing." The broken quality of his voice pierced Isabela's heart like a thorn.
"I-I" Bruno started to shudder. His voice trembled and his shoulders shook. "I didn't, we didn't, It's not what, I would never do anything to hurt our familia, I, I, por favor, por favor don't tell anyone, por favor, Wil's a good person, I don't want him to get hurt."
Bruno was sobbing now and Isabela immediately regretted her plan. She rushed to his side and dissolved the vines around his wrists and ankles. Bruno immediately curled in on himself the second he was free. Hiding his face and babbling incoherent apologies.
"No, no, Tío Bruno it's not like that!" Isabela insisted. Kneeling on the floor beside him. Dolores came to sit on the other side of him. "We want to help you!"
"I don't need your help, I know it's wrong!" Bruno spat bitterly. He uncoiled slightly in the process and sat like that for a moment. Heaving and staring into space. Frozen and bitter. His hands framing his face like tendrils.
Isabela pulled one of his Bruno's down and held it in hers.
"Tío, está bien. We're not mad." Isabela soothed.
Bruno began to unwind slightly. He only stared back down at the floor at first.
"Lo quieres?" Dolores asked him gently.
Bruno looked at her with big, sad, eyes. Round as dinner plates. Glassy and heavy with a pain Isabela realized he had been carrying for a very long time. This wasn't just about Wilfredo. This was something more than any one person or passing infatuation. This was a blight. A pain that crawled through his veins and infected every part of him.
"I don't know what to tell you." Bruno replied softly.
Isabela felt a burning pain in her chest. A fire she couldn't quite explain but she needed him to feel it.
"You've sacrificed so much for this family." Isabela almost shouted. Bruno jumped. Startled by the burn. "You deserve to be happy." She told him. "If this is something you want we'll do whatever we can to help you."
"I-I, you want me to? I…" Bruno pulled his hand away to tug on his ruana. Struggling to process what they were saying.
"You didn't think we'd seriously let you give up a man like that did you?" Dolores chastised.
"This is not where I thought this was going." Bruno confessed.
"Did you hear what he said!" Dolores cooed. She gushed over the poem. "He's so romantic! Está claramente enamorado de ti!"
Isabela smiled and rolled her eyes. "I may not be big on this kind of thing but she just wouldn't shut up about you two."
"H-how much of our… conversations, did you overhear?" Bruno asked awkwardly.
Dolores blushed. She hid her face in her hands and looked away. "I didn't mean to spy. When you didn't come home, I just had to check on you. The things he said to you that morning." She sputtered.
Her voice was wistful. Her hands dropped from her face and she looked back at Bruno stary-eyed. "He said you were perfect."
"We're happy for you." Isabela explained. Bruno looked back at her in disbelief. "If you're happy, we're happy for you." Isabela confirmed.
Bruno smiled softly for before his lips twitched and he looked back down at the floor. "Es muy dulce de su parte." He sighed. "Pero yo ya aclaré las cosas con él. I-I don't think he wants much to do with me anymore."
"Nonsense!" Isabela swatted his shoulder playfully.
"Sí, you can still win him back." Dolores agreed. She tapped her chin with her finger. "All you need is a grand romantic gesture to show him how much he means to you."
"Oh, I don't know about that…" Bruno blushed and curled in on himself timidly.
"Just trust us." Isabela insisted. "We know what we're doing."
Bruno eyed her skeptically. The flat line of his mouth and raised eyebrow said it all really. Sure they were a pair of twenty-two-year girls trying to give romantic advice to a couple of late middle-aged men, but how different could romance between two men really be?
"I don't know if I'm quite that desperate yet mija." Bruno replied gently. "J-just give me some time to think about it ok. If I need your help I'll let you know."
"We'll be right here when you do." Isabela assured him.
If there's one thing Isabela knew how to do it was charm. This was something she could certainly do. Bruno wouldn't be alone anymore. Isabela was determined to make herself useful.