Morning
Quite the day planned. Manolo was in charge of breakfast. Zita had to open the hotel. The kids were having breakfast at the kid's table. Everyone else was at the dining table. The twins were between Ignácio and Acacia. Chico was feeding Joy. The Madrigals got to meet some of the other tenants but they had to leave for work.
"So everyone has plans today?"
"I'll have lunch here so I can help prepare for the..."
"Others," said Angie.
"I see. So The room arrangements"
"Well, Zita could offer a guest villa we can use?" suggested Acacia.
"No good," said Angie. "This is their first time away from the town. They're already stepping over their comfort zones by coming here."
"Yeah, our mom was pretty shaken when we left. Imagen being away from her baby, surrounded by strangers,"
"Okay Camilo, we'll make sure you have her room next to yours"
"Not me! Antonio," defended Camilo as he pointed at his little brother.
"Whatever you say," remarked Zano.
"Anyway the kids are fine bunking together to make room,"
"We already got the sleeping bags," Layla said holding her sleeping bag.
Maria made more marks, "Okay, so that gives us two rooms but what about your..."
"She can stay with us. The couch is a pull-out," Dolores added. "Which is something we just learned."
"If you're all okay with it."
"I got to go. school," Zano grabbed his backpack and headed out.
"Same here," said Luna as she did the same.
"Have fun my loves. And Zano Remember to come straight home your still on probation!" exclaimed Maria.
"I got to go too. I'll see you later sweetie come on kids let's go," Acacia and Mateo kissed their respective spouses and headed out along with Chico and the kids following after.
After they left. It was just the Sanchez Patriarchs and the Madrigals.
"Okay, I'm just going to go out and say it"
"Say what?"
Camilo started, "About the elephant-"
"Her name is Alma," added Angie.
"Angie,"
"Sorry, no cafe in months affects my filter," she said.
"You have a filter," joked Ignácio. A few smiles were shared briefly since no one could hold off on the inevitable.
So with a deep breath, they started, "Growing up with Abuela wasn't always easy and I know you guys were only kids back then. But I also remember that you always seemed to know what was going on," said Ignacio.
"Sorry, you guys were hard to ignore," joked Dolores.
"That's okay, Lolo. You couldn't help it. I'm just sorry that I didn't do more when I was there," said Angie feeling guilty for leaving them behind.
"Angie things are different now," said Isa.
"But how long have they been different?" The eldest cousin asked looking at the whole family.
"Uh... Well, it's more about the quality than the..." said Bruno.
"Not that long huh?"
"Mija..." Bruno tried to explain.
"Papi, how long were you hiding from them till you were no longer afraid of her?"
"... After Antonio's fifth birthday," he said.
"I see," she turns to the kids, "What about you five?" she asked her Primas and Primo.
After no response, "Let me guess you all got stuck with our chores with no break and no problems"
Luisa answered first, "I managed fine with the heavy lifting..." Luisa realized what she revealed.
"What?" Angie asked but the girl remained silent. "I was the strongest it made sense..."
"Luisa when you say..."
"Breakfast is ready! Get them while they're hot!" Manolo said holding more breakfast.
"Nice timing Manny," said Maria. "I was out of options," He said aware of the situation.
"Anyway since you're here. Angie, Nació, how about we give them their gifts," Maria said hoping, to redirect the conversation.
"Gifts?"
"Yes, every year on your birthdays the triplets would buy a gift for you kids,"
"Better late than never," said Bruno to his kids hoping they'll drop the thing with Luisa.
"Fine. C'mon Nació, let's get them," she got up from the chair, "But we're not done talking," she said as they left the room.
"Oh, man did you see her face?"
"You okay Luisa?"
"I'm fine, sort of. I forget how hard It was to keep details from Angie,"
"Luisa you know you don't have to keep it in,"
"I know and I want to tell them but not when there is so much already going on," she said they didn't look so sure, "I'll tell them I promise. But only when I'm ready Angie will understand that much,"
"Okay you've known her longer," said Mirabel.
Then Angie and Ignácio returned with fifty gifts.
"Woah,"
"That's a lot of gifts"
"¡Feliz cumpleaños Cousins!" they announced smiling. The first was Isa, Luisa, Dolores, Camilo, and then Mirabel. They all loved their gifts.
"These are amazing," Dolores said wearing her new headphones and switching with earmuffs.
"Yeah, how did you know?" Isa asked holding a book about plants.
"I like this," Luisa said holding a stress ball.
"Yeah, these are awesome though..." Camilo said pointing to the gifts meant for younger kids.
"Sorry about that,"
"We hoped to return after a year or two, but before we knew it..." Angie said as she drifted in thought.
Sensing the sad aura, "Well at least we got Antonio's birthday gifts covered," Camilo said with a smile, "He still likes this stuff,"
"If he's okay with it though the dresses might not be his style," said Ignacio as he place a hand on Camilo's shoulder.
"Lucky for us you two had daughters," said Isa.
"Thanks for the reminder. So Mirabel, what do you think of your presents?" Angie asked Mirabel who was looking at the book in her hand. "Oh, they're nice, I love the fabric, the books seem cool, and the clothes are different," she said holding a pair of pants, "Yeah we didn't know your pants size but we can alter them."
"Hey there's one more gift here, and it's for Mirabel," he holds the gift and Angie realized what it was.
"Oh yeah, Mirabel this is something we've been wanting to give you for a long time."
"What is it?"
"Your fifth birthday gift."
"Oh," Mirabel sees all the triplets' names on it. "How did it?"
"After everything went down I was so angry I just packed whatever I could and this was in my crossfire."
"After I saw it. We solidified our vow to return," Ignacio said. the twins looked at her with familial love and while she smiled at them she couldn't return that same love cause she can't remember them. "So, are you going to open it?"
"Oh right," she opens the gift and sees a gold-plated locket shaped like a heart with a butterfly design. "This is... I can't how... where?" the rest of the Madrigal children were amazed at the locket.
"So pretty,"
"Is that real gold?"
"Gold plated."
"Mija where did you?" Bruno asked.
"Titi Apuch. She helped us with all your necklaces," recalled Angie, "She helped us find the materials that represented you best."
"So how come Mirabel's is gold?"
They shrugged, "All she said was a gold locket for the girl with a heart of gold," Angie said as she helped Mirabel put on the necklace. "This is beautiful you didn't have to..."
"Hey our mom started the tradition we just kept it alive," Ignácio said with a sad smile but shook it off as the clock went off. "Look at the time! we better get the rooms ready,"
After preparations they had lunch. Everyone told them more about their life in Encanto while trying to avoid any unpleasant topics but that couldn't last. Grandpapi Posada joined them with tales of his own. Around 2 p.m. Manolo had to go pick everyone up.
"That's nice, at least you had some good friends with you during your early years," Maria responded to Maribel. "But what about your 15th birthday? Didn't you have a quinceañera at least or was everyone too busy?"
Mirabel became quiet for a bit, causing the twins to become angry and worried.
"Oh don't tell me the family forgot about that!" Angelina cried out in anger.
"No! no, it wasn't like that at all," Mirabel replied as she waved her hands in an attempt to calm them down. "I did have a quinceañera! I did! But..."
"But what?" Ignácio inquired.
"It's just that... while their quinceañeras were all fancy and crowded with adoring guests, except Dolores cause of her hearing. I didn't." She said. "We decorated La Casita and Mama made a meal large enough for any guests that wanted to come over but we all knew that it would never happen. The Jimenezes along with the- the Fuentes, the Marquezes, Alita, and Señora Gonzales still showed up, and some kids. Though a part of me had hoped that more people would come but,(sticks tongue out) No go. I did do the usual ceremony like wearing a fancy dress, getting new shoes, and even dancing with my family and friends, but compared to how the other quinceañeras went, it all felt so..."
"Empty,"
"Fake,"
"Offhand,"
"Half-assed,"
"We'll not those words exactly, there was effort put in and the people I cared about came," She assured. "It's just that it felt like something was missing."
"I think I might have an idea, tell me was Abuela hovering over you trying to make you look like a bridal sacrifice."
"Not really, Abuela came with me to my fitting. Making sure I look presentable and said 'Remember to keep that white pristine till marriage' The rest of the time she was observing the party planning."
"Yeah, that sounds like her," said Ignácio.
"Odd that she didn't use the opportunity to pair you off with an old family's son."
"Well Antonio's birthday was coming up and she was busy trying to marry me off-" Isa instantly shut her mouth. "What?! But you're only 22? How long were you dating?"
"We weren't. Not really anyway. Our Abuela arrange it," Isa explained.
"Who was it?"
"Oh, an old playmate from when we were kids. But I saw him as a friend and now he's in a relationship with someone who truly likes him. Tamales anyone?" She then gives Mirabel the tamales who sends her a sympathetic look.
"And Abuela was ok with this?"
"Yup," She nods while turning the attention back to her sister, "Mirabel, I'm sorry, So sorry that you didn't get a better quince."
"It's okay Isa, I still had one and it was fine. I'm just glad no one tried to pair me off."
"Give it time. Abuela may back off for now but she'll start pushing," said Angie.
"C'mon sis she's got great-grandkids already," noted Ignacio.
"Yeah, and by the way I apologize in advance on her behalf. After she complains about not being at our weddings she'll move on to you guys. Again I'm so sorry."
"Well that might not be a problem," said Dolores, "I was hoping to tell everyone, but I'm engaged!"
"WHAT?!" The pregnant woman exclaimed. "I'LL KILL-"
"Angie! Cálmate you're scaring the babies."
"Oh, Sorry cuties, Titi lost her cool," she said gently to the quivering babies, "Dolores how long-"
"We started around May. I know it's sudden but I've known Mariano since we were children and I've had strong feelings for him for years."
"Lolo, marriage is a serious commitment."
"She could get a divorce like me," said Grandpapi Posada.
"NOT NOW GRANDPAPI!" She ordered the old man. "DOLORES YOU HAVE NO OBLIGA... (pause) "Did you say, Mariano?" Dolores nodded, "Mariano Guzman?" Dolores nodded again, "The skinny mama's boy that wrote poems?" Dolores nodded but looked shocked and angry at what she heard. Everyone else just giggled.
"He's very caring," Dolores defensively said.
"Plus he's not skinny anymore," added Mirabel.
"Yup," Camilo said as he changed himself into Mariano age 5, "I was a tiny shrimp," to current, "Now I'm a buff Beefcake," Everyone laughed. After seeing Dolores' expression they stopped and coughed.
"So... Mariano, he seemed nice last we saw him," said Angie.
"He's still nice. He even helped in rebuilding Casita, even after I broke... his nose," said Isa.
"Did he get fresh?"
"No! no. It was an accident, I was aiming at a bird," Isa said embarrassed at that incident.
"Ahh," she said understanding, then looked at Dolores still worried.
"Look Prima, I get where your coming from. I assured you no one is pushing us, we want to get married and we want you to be there," Dolores implores her.
"That might not be possible," Ignácio said solemnly.
"Why?" said Camilo till he realized, "Oh, right Javier."
"I wonder how Abuela will react to this?"
"From my experience, she'll start with an 'I told you so' followed by pinning the blame on one of us," Angie said as she gestured between her and Nació.
The sound of a door opening was heard. "We're here! and guess who we brought?" announced Manolo.
When they hear Manolo's voice they headed for the front only to be met with...
"Hey! Watch where you put your bag pal, you just ruined our game!" Ernie yelled at Agustín.
"Yes! Now please leave. I don't know why you are here. They have no vacancies!" said Mr. Hyunh.
"Por favor, just listen for a second," Julieta pleaded. "We came all this way to see..."
"Mami?"
"Mirabel!" Exclaimed Julieta as she embraced her youngest daughter.
"What are you bobos, yelling about now?" asked Grandpapí.
"Look, gramps, we were just trying to educate these Guffos," Mr. Potts explained.
"Guffo huh?!" Pepa asked in a hostile manner. "And what do you mean by that?!"
"Mami calm down!" Dolores stepped in with her brother's help.
"Guys please!" Mirabel said as she tried to ease the tension between the 2 parties as they began to argue with each other. It made Mirabel feel both awkward and somewhat impressed as they both cared about everyone's well-being and were merely trying to look out for each other. However, it seemed as though things were about to get ugly as it looked like the families were just inches away from getting physical with each other.
"That's it! I'm calling the police!" Mr. Hyunh said as he pulled out his mobile phone only for Mirabel to run towards the man and stop him.
"WAIT!!!!" Angie screamed, causing everyone to stop and stare at her.
"What are you doing?" He asked her in confusion, causing Angie to sigh and pinch her nose in frustration while pushing up her reading glasses.
"That won't help," Ignácio said in an embarrassed tone.
"And why not?" Ernie asked, causing Angie to take a deep breath before finally revealing the truth.
"Because... they're our family."
The Tenants became silent and so did the Madrigals as they didn't know what was going to happen now that Angie had revealed who exactly the people "harassing" them were.
"¿Que?" Ernie responded in a shocked yet flat tone.
"¡¿QUE?!!" the entire building sans babies, shouted at the same time.
"Is it that surprising?" Camilo thought to himself.
The Madrigals could only flinch in response due to how loud the people were while also wondering how much was told about them.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Grandpapí cried out, causing Angie to nod in exasperation. "Papa you already knew that" Maria noted to her father. "I like the dramatics,"
"Sí, I am," Angie said as she once again sighed. "This is the rest of the Madrigals,"
'Was that embarrassment just now?' Pepa wondered concerned and slightly hurt. 'Did we make such a bad first impression? We need to get our acts together
"They are the Madrigals?" Ernie Potts asked in shock. "The same Madrigals who lived back in this Encantó you mentioned?"
"Oh, they told you about us?" Agustín asked hopefully, only to be troubled by the glares they gave him.
"Sí, they did," Mateó responded in a neutral tone. Extending his hand to the nervous man, "They told us ALL about you, the good and the bad," he added while shaking Agustín's hand.
"Oh," Agustin said as he and the other Madrigals' moods deflated the moment they heard that.
"I should have known that they would hold a grudge against us, Agustín thought to himself. Then again, I wouldn't blame them. I am a terrible tío and father."
"Angie," Bruno said as he stepped forward. "I know you must have mixed feelings seeing them again but we mean it when we say that we missed you very much and would like for,"
"And who are you supposed to be?" Mr. Hynn asked as he pointed at him. "Are you one of THEM?"
"Well yes and no," Bruno said as he could only scratch the back of his neck nervously. "He's our father, Mr. Hyunh," said Ignácio.
"Oh, Your Bruno Madrigal, the psychic who predicted that the triplets would be happier here than in the Encanto,"
"Sí, I guess?" Bruno responded only to suddenly feel his hand being shaken by Mr. Hyunh in a surprisingly enthusiastic manner.
"It's so nice to finally meet you!" Mr. Hyunh responded in a much happier tone. Bruno could only shake a bit due to how rough he was being with his hand.
"Um okay, I guess?" Bruno said as he genuinely had no idea how to respond to this sudden treatment. The other Tenants and Madrigals could only giggle while the older Madrigals were also taken aback by Mr. Hyunh's sudden change in demeanor. Dolores and Antonio however were glad to see that another person outside of the Madrigals was being nice to him for once.
"When I heard about you I can sympathize with the tough decision you had to make in letting your children go but at least you had confirmation," He said Bruno kept smiling but not quite getting what the man was saying.
"Okay! Now that we're all acquainted let's bring the bags in c'mon," Angie said trying to get inside quickly before she had to-
"Angelina?" said a voice that Angie hadn't heard in ten years. "Is that you?" Mateó saw his wife's back stiff at the woman's words. He places his hand on her shoulders, "Whatever you want to do next? I'll help you," she took in his supportive words gazing down at her belly, and her daughter's big doe eyes.
Angie's next move was decided, she straightened her back and then turned. But when she did instead of a strong demeanor void of emotion, she saw an expression she hasn't seen from Alma in a long time. She looked at her brother who was just as stumped as her. So they both walk closer to get a better look.
Alma couldn't believe her eyes her eldest nieta and one of her nietos are standing right in front of her. And one of them is expecting.
She wants to hug them so much but fears they might not like that. Until someone hugs her. Angelina to be exact was surprising for everyone. "I'm glad that you are here," she said as she pulled away slowly to let Ignácio hug her which Alma welcomed but was still surprised. "We have a lot to discuss," he said "so let's get everyone settled and we can talk at dinner," with that said everyone quietly grabbed a bag and headed inside.
"Oye! Wait for us!" Pepa cried out as she ran after them. The other Madrigals quickly followed, with Manolo leading them.
"Just follow us," Manolo said as he and the others continued to walk.
"Are you going to be staying with us for dinner?" Julieta asked.
"Oh, right I forgot to tell you. I'm not only Zano's father but I'm also Nació's father-in-law," the older Sanchez explained.
"Oh,"
"Yep, welcome to our family it's going to be an eventful visit,"
"So, this is St. Angel!" Agustín said in amazement remembering how festive and colorful it is from the ride here. The fact that it resembled the Encantó, except bigger and less green, made it even more incredible. The other Madrigals were just as impressed by the architecture of the town with all of the shops and restaurants that were available for them to see.
"Hey, we can visit some of these places later," Camilo said to his father interested in what they saw.
"Not now, Mijo," Felix said. "We need to focus on your cousins first,"
"Right," Camilo said in a sheepish tone. As he along with his other cousins helped their parents get settled.
"So... Angelina has grown,"
"She's pregnant," Dolores announced, "and wait till you meet her husband he's nice,"
"He's a beefcake but kind of boring,"
"Camilo!" Whisper grunted Luisa.
"I'm just saying for a former soldier I thought..."
"Former what?" Asked Alma. The Madrigal children were silent since they weren't sure how Abuela would respond to the war or the triplet's military career. Mirabel told her what Zano told them. "Abuela, we learned from Zano, that there was a war but it's over now. Mateó's retired and the trips are," Alma puts a hand on her arm to stop her. "You don't have to explain. I'm sure that after dinner everything will be made clear,"
"You sure?" Mirabel asked remembering how Abuela was affected by the war that took her home.
"A little. I haven't seen them in years so I have no room to say," she walks to her room to settle and rest.
"Me and my big mouth. I'm sorry" he said.
"Don't worry hijo," Felix said as he placed a comforting hand on his son's shoulder.
"So what do we do now?" Isabela asked the others, causing them to ponder over what their next step is.
"Let's just sit down or stay standing if you want," Julieta suggested. "We should rest, dinner won't be ready for a while."
"Agreed," Pepa said as she plopped onto the bed, letting out an audible groan in the process. "My feet are killing me!"
"Mine too!" Agustín groaned as he too sat on the couch. "And we didn't even walk that long,"
"Agreed, let's just sit down," Felix said as he followed after his wife and in-laws.
The only ones who remained standing were Luisa, Isabela, Dolores, Mirabel, and of course, Alma. But she was alone in her room. Alma wanted to rest as well, but she had so much on her mind and remained standing despite her feet being sore. 'I can do this,' she thought to herself with determination. 'I have survived and experienced worse than this and I'm not going to let some fatigue get the better of me' she tried but she relented and sat down. 'Pedro, what has happened to our son's children? They seem fine now but I don't see Javier and I can't imagine what they must have been through..."
During those 2 hours of waiting, the Madrigals spent their time talking with each other or watching the sunset as the sky grew darker. Pepa looked on as she recalled how she watched the sunset with her brother and then his children only to remember that they were not here with her anymore.
"I miss them already," she said as she hugged her knees and planted her face in them in sadness, prompting Félix to try and console her by placing an arm around her shoulder.
"Don't worry Pepi," he said in a warm tone. "We'll see them during dinner. I promise,"
"It's not that," Pepa said with a sigh. "I spent 10 years wondering where Bruno and his children went and when I finally get the chance to spend time with him again. The children remain distant from the rest of us."
"At least we'll be able to eat with them again," he responded. "I'm sure you will get a chance to talk to them more and meet their children,"
"Even so, they barely spoke to us when we arrived," she explained. "What if they haven't forgiven us at all and were only pretending just so they can have Bruno back? What if I do something to make him run away again?"
"Mama, please don't beat yourself up over what happened," Dolores pleaded as she sat down with her parents. "Tío Bruno has a very forgiving and patient heart and I'm sure he still sees you as his hermana even if you don't. I'm sure his triplets are the same way."
"Thank you mija," Pepa said with a smile. "That means a lot."
Suddenly, their conversation along with the others got interrupted by the loud slam of a door opening. They all turned to see Angelina giving them a tired smile as she placed a hand on the door to keep it open. Tension filled the air for a moment as nobody said a single word until she finally spoke.
"Dinner is ready," she said. "I thought I should tell you since I thought you were all asleep,"
"Oh gracias," Julieta said as she and the others ushered out one person at a time. "Where's Abuela?" Asked Angie.
"She's still in her room. I'll go get her" said Mirabel.
After the two appear, Angelina led the family to the dining room. Where Maria is talking to the tenants about their behavior.
"You are to keep to yourself and not touch ANYTHING understand?" Maria asked in a sharp tone, causing the others to rapidly nod in fear. "Good, now follow me," they followed the older woman to the door so they can get dinner from the hotel.
"The Tenants are eating elsewhere tonight so we can have a private family reunion," explained Angie.
"Okay," Julieta said as she and the others followed after her in silence they all took off their shoes and entered the dining table. The food, plates, bowls, napkins, and utensils were already placed on the table for both the Sanchez, Mondragón, and Madrigals while there were more chairs for them to sit at.
The Madrigals were introduced to Ignácio's wife Acacia, and his children; Layla, Manny, and Michelangelo. Angie's husband Mateó, and their daughter, Gabriela. However, because there were more people than usual, Zano's parents were forced to move another table from a different room to the dining room to accommodate the Madrigals, much to his annoyance and displeasure. He also had to grab chairs from the other rooms to bring to the table.
Though the Madrigals saw that their chairs weren't matching the ones that the others were sitting at, they accepted it as they knew that complaining would get them nowhere. The only members of the Family that wasn't at the table were baby Joy, Manny, and Miguel as they were currently in the baby room taking a nap.
Once they were all seated, the older Madrigals were further away from Mirabel and Bruno. Angelina decided to stand up from her seat and clear her throat to make an announcement.
"Everyone, I know this may have been a rather bizarre and unexpected turn of events but we must endure it for now," she stated in a firm tone to her family while keeping an eye on the Madrigals "Since the rest of our birth family have made the effort to visit us we should at least be courteous enough to welcome them and catch up. Understood?"
"Sí, Angelina," they said in unison.
"Bueno," she said before clapping her hands and rubbing them together. "Let's eat!"
As soon as she said this, both families began eating to their hearts' content though the Madrigals made sure to eat politely as they could so they wouldn't get on the Madrigals' bad side. The households' names were unclear. There was still tension however as they all ate. No one had anything to say, the kids got along and Angelina's hand was held by Mateó.
"So, Bruno?" Julieta began, prompting him to look up at her in curiosity. "How were the borders to you?"
"Oh, they were nice actually!" Bruno exclaimed in happiness as he began talking about the borders. "They were friendly to us despite having only met us for the first time and even gave me some tea with biscuits that were Mexican style. It was good and kind of looked like your trademark arepas only without the cheese, meat, and healing magic. oh sorry probably didn't need to mention that."
"It's fine, Brunito," Julieta said with a smile. "I'm glad to see you are doing well under their care."
"Yeah, well they gave me an armchair to sit on and even introduced me to some shows on this machine called a television! They have telenovelas!" He announced. "Telenovelas, filmed from different locations in Mexico, Spain, Rio, Puerto Rico, and even Colombia! There's this one telenovela called 'Metastasis,' that's a crime drama filmed in Colombia! Can you believe that? From our home country and I didn't even know about it until now! It was incredible!" Bruno exclaimed as he began talking about the show he was currently hooked on and how the Sánchez' were kind to both him and the children.
This made both sets of Madrigals happy as they watched in amusement over how he was giddy like a kid and was fascinated by the world around him. The other families were also happy to see Bruno happy and could see a lot of him within Mirabel given how she reacted similarly to the world around her.
'You deserve the best in the world, Brunito,' Alma thought to herself with a sad smile as she saw how happy he was with his children and grandchildren compared to his own family. 'You really do.'
"Oh sorry, am I talking too much?" Bruno said with a blush of embarrassment as he realized that everyone was quiet.
"Oh no no no, not at all!" Julieta assured him. "We're just glad to see that you are doing well."
"Sounds like you had fun without us," Pepa commented as she felt both happy for her brother and sad over the fact that she couldn't be there with him when it all happened. "Well, it was a pretty neat experience," Bruno said with a chuckle and a blush. "We were practically given the royal treatment but I did help out."
"Which you didn't need to Papí," said Angie "Your our guests."
"I don't mind, I like spending time with the kids."
"Us too, they're sweet," said Mirabel, and her cousins agreed. "The rooms are nice too."
"I'm glad," Acacia said as she turned to her father-in-law, "We felt bad about putting you with the twins, but they seem to have attached themselves to you."
"Hey at least it beats staying trapped within the walls for 10 whole years," Bruno joked, causing both Pepa and her family to feel awkward as they were reminded of what Bruno had to endure. Seeing his sisters' glum expressions, "Living in the walls which I choose. It was more like a hidden room but still..." he smiled awkwardly trying to shift the topic but no good. Though he didn't mean to take jabs at them or call them out on their mistreatment of him, it still hurt to think that they could have patched up their relationship with him during that time or at least put in a better effort to bring him back to the family instead of badmouthing him.
'I'm so sorry Bruno,' Pepa thought to herself in shame. 'I am'
"Oh you must have been so hungry during those years," Zita said as Angie placed a hand of comfort on him while offering him a large plate of tamales. "Tamale?"
"Oh no gracias," Bruno said as he waved his hand, as Zita passed the tamales around. "Anyway, Angelina how are you and the baby doing?"
"Mamá is holding my new sibling in her tummy," stated Gabriella. "And tía Acacia has been helping her stay healthy."
"You two seem quite close with each other," Luisa commented, "Like sisters," causing Acacia to glance at her with a friendly grin.
"Indeed we are," she responded with a chirp, "We've all been best friends ever since we first met. Even shared the same room for a while."
"Really?" Julieta commented as she didn't know about that. "Well only on some of our travels and that was the cause of lousy advertising."
"Come to think of it," Félix began. "I don't think we've been told about how you all met?"
"Right, I guess you guys don't know about that," Ignácio commented as he realized that he was right. "Perhaps it's best that we tell you about what exactly happened and how we ended up here in St. Angel."
"Yes, please if you don't mind," Bruno encouraged, making them smile at him before turning to the others. They all nodded at them and silently encouraged them to talk as well, with Mateó and Acacia being the most supportive. Angie took a deep breath before deciding to finally tell their story.
"Okay, you all deserve to know the truth about our... journey," Angie started before getting to the point. "After what happened that night. We ran away from the Encantó, and even walked across the river that was located outside."
"Just like the one that we walked across," Camilo commented only to get harshly shushed by Isa, making him shrink into his seat in mild embarrassment.
"After that, we heard guns firing and ended up walking into a raid. We tried to help the villagers to safety but we got the gunmen' attention so we ran as fast as we could into the forest,"
"Dios Mío,"
"W-What happened after that?" Bruno asked nervously, prompting them to look on in shame and regret.
"Then a big light appeared and the raiders were gone. Then we met up with Apuch, and she helped us find the town the Mondragóns were living in at the time,"
"Incredible," Félix said as he scratched his chin while pondering over the idea of another miracle.
"At least you were able to get there safely," Agustín said in a relieved tone only to become even more worried when Angie's face became more regretful. "Right?"
"Angie? Did something happen after?" Dolores asked in a concerned tone. Angie sighed before dropping a bombshell onto her family over what happened to them.
"That's the thing... I... We didn't just run, we used our powers to stop them," she responded, making the Madrigal Family gasp in shock while the others cringed.
"YOU DID WHAT?!" Alma screamed as she got up in shock, causing Julieta and Isa to try and grab onto her so she wouldn't cause a scene.
"Mama por favor! Cálmate!" Julieta cried out as she tried to get her panicked mother to settle down and sit back in her seat. Alma wasn't mad, just shocked cause they could have been hunted down.
"Sí, Abuela. Just sit down and let her talk," Isa pleaded, causing Alma to realize how foolish she was being and sit back down while trying to reign in her outburst. "I'm sorry I was..."
"We get it. But what did you expect," Angie said as she took a deep breath before continuing. "We were taught to use our powers to help people and that's what we did."
"Unfortunately... I lost control and we almost died," said Ignácio.
Silence filled the room the moment he said this, with the Madrigals' expressions ranging from shock to horror to tearful as they tried to process what they had just heard. Isabela, Bruno, and Alma were the most horrified as they were desperate to reunite and the idea of almost having lost them for good made their faces almost turn pale.
They almost died... because of...? Isabela thought to herself in both fear and shame as she felt her guilt increase tenfold.
"But... why?" Antonio asked Angie who could only give him a pained expression in return. "Why did you... almost die the bad men were gone?"
"Because..." Angie said with a heavy heart. So Ignácio took over. "After years of holding back... when finally free to let it out, it was too much and I almost lost my siblings," he confessed.
"Ignácio, you saved us if it wasn't for you we wouldn't be here today," said Angie with Mateó nodding next to her, "That's right and you've gained more control since then."
"After we meet Mateó and his family we discovered a war was going on so we trained with Mateo and joined the military," her statement made everyone pause as they were surprised at the implications, Alma most of all, "You-" she was cut off.
"Yes. We were soldiers and we were heroes, we fought only to protect those who couldn't protect themselves," she said while looking at Alma, "Not that it matters but we're all retired, but I don't regret ever having to fight to protect the liberty of this world."
Mirabel didn't know what to say she felt guilty. It was on her birthday that they left. "If I had gotten a gift you wouldn't have argued with..." She looks up and sees everyone staring at her and that was when she realized she was thinking out loud. But it was too late they had heard.
Furious Angie glared at them, "DID YOU BLAME MARIBEL FOR US LEAVING?" She asked the eldest Madrigal members who tried to deny it, "CAUSE LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR IT WASN'T!" She informed loudly causing them to flinch.
Mirabel was worried for both her parents and pregnant prima, "Angie please, they barely talked about you three. I..." forgot you. She tried to explain but there was no getting through to her.
"No! Listen here!" Angelina insisted as she looked deep into her eyes. "You, Mirabel Valentina Rojas Madrigal, are so much better than you think you are! If you ever saw yourself as ordinary or even worthless that is not the least bit true! You have so much potential in you, it was just hard for others to see that, especially our familia!" As she said this, she glared at Alma who could only hang her head in shame over how her actions affected the family and her only son and youngest granddaughter. "Sure, you may not have gained magical abilities like us but that did not mean you were less special than us. Especially those that don't have powers! If anything else, YOU are one of our brightest stars that came out of their mess before we had our kids."
"Oh um... thanks," Mirabel said as she didn't know how to feel about her prima's words. Mirabel was glad Angie cared but also felt awkward cause she worked things out with their family. "But again they didn't blame me. No one talked about you three for years. And I did feel left out but after Casita crumbled we all aired out our feelings."
While Angie seemed to calm down at this. Only by a bit. She could trust Mirabel's words, given how her papa sacrificed his reputation for hers. She didn't know whether to believe her regarding their family as they did neglect and hurt her for years.
It also didn't help that they seemed to only care about them after Casita, and the magic disappeared where as her new family gave her unconditional kindness and love with no strings attached and no payment in return. But when she saw the sincere looks of love and affection that her old family had in their eyes, including Alma herself, she began to wonder if what she said was true. Could they have changed for the better? Angelina wondered to herself. I want to believe it. I really do.
"So Angelina? Do you wish to continue your story?" Maria asked politely, causing Angie to gasp as she forgot about that.
"Ah right," she said as she turned to the rest of the family, with Bruno's hand on her shoulder. "As I was saying, when the war came to an end I initially didn't want to go back to the Encantó yet and planned to stay with Mateó and his family as they moved here. I was surprised that my brothers also felt the same way and stayed."
"That was when we meet these guys," Ignácio said as he gestured to Acacia, Zita, and Chico.
"Mateó's father, Joaquín, is a childhood friend of ours so we let them stay with us," said Maria. "Chico was living with Zita at the time."
"We got to know each other more as we journeyed into the Jungle to find an ancient temple," said Acacia, "I was completing my doctorate then, and Javier was studying at the university to complete his."
"He's a doctor?"
"More of a medical scientist, but he uses his knowledge to help people all over the world,"
"I see," said Alma in relief sensing that is why Javier is not present, he was probably in another country.
"Anyways," Angelina interjected as she tried to finish the story. "Javier had tripped and got hurt that was when we met Blanca,"
"My sister," Chico said.
"And my mother," said Miguel.
"She kept us from killing ourselves in the jungle. She was like Señora Julieta but more assertive," Said Zita.
"How so?"
"She could beat me in a wrestling match," said Chico.
"Before we all knew it we became a team. We were the best of friends. Then we coupled up and settled down here. They even gave us a modern makeover. Believe it or not, before this baby bump I had short hair, my wardrobe was 90% pants and yes they're for women."
"So that explains the pictures," Dolores commented. "I almost didn't recognize you at first given how you had a completely new hairstyle along with having a new..."
"Figure," she smiled.
"I was gonna say, baby."
"Which we think is a wonderful look on you!" Luisa interjected in an attempt to compliment her cousin, and not make her mood swings flare up.
"Um... gracias," Angie said as she still wasn't used to being complimented by her bump it just felt so unnecessary, especially by her family members. "Moving on, we got married but not at the same time. First was Zita and Chico, then Ignácio and Acaica. Followed by Javier, and Blanca. Then me and Mateó."
"Really?" Agustín asked in surprise. "I always thought you three would have your weddings together."
"Oh, now you tell them," Zano snarked under his breath as he drank from his cup, "I had to be polite to all the guests in monkey suits."
"Isn't that excepted?" Agustin asked Zano, "Wait till you meet Mateó's grandmother. Who you said was dead, at the time," Zano said to Mateo making Agustín give him a shocked look over his comment.
"No, I said I thought she was dead when I was seven! She lived in Mexico City years ago as my father trained with General Posada at the time till he meet my mother."
"Is she still around?" Asked Agustín.
"Bruja," commented Grandpapi as he coughed drinking water, "Sorry something in my throat, what I meant to say was pu-"
"PAPI!" Shouted Maria, "What? You said the same thing to her face," he threw out. "The kids weren't present," she explained.
"Oh, right. Agua?" He offered.
"Well (cough) at least you are here safe and sound," Julieta said as she tried to get everybody back on point and avoid any more conflict. "We were so worried about where you were and what happened to you after everything fell apart,"
"Is that so?" Chico asked in suspicion, prompting Agustín to jump in his wife's defense.
"Of course we were!" Agustín shouted in the offense. "We looked everywhere for you three in the Encantó but we didn't leave because we didn't know where to look on the outside and refused to give up."
"Really?" Zita asked in surprise. "So you went to find them?"
"Of course we did!" Dolores responded. "We may not have been the best family, that we're willing to admit. But we did our best to try and bring them back home despite not knowing where they went,"
"That's right!" Félix said. "We even held search parties for them for 3 days until we were forced to stop them."
"Really? And why is that exactly?" Angelina asked with a raised eyebrow. Félix and the Madrigals frowned before giving Alma glances once again while she turned away from them in shame.
"She suggested that we stop looking due to her belief that you would come back to us but it was pretty obvious that she just didn't want to waste any more time," Felix mumbled, causing the others to gasp before glaring at her as well.
"That's not completely true..." Alma responded in a weak tone.
"Oh please, we all know how much you despised having Tía Mica around. How you hated that you couldn't get them to follow your orders," Isabela snapped at the old woman. "It's thanks to you that the magic was fading with the Casita, not like we needed magic to be a family in the first place. We wasted almost our entire lives trying to please you and the community and for WHAT?! Just to be miserable and act as slaves to our gifts? On top of that, you deprived ME of sharing my cousins' memories while claiming it was for the best! All those years I could have spent making my sisters happy instead of you!" As Isabela finished her mild rant, she turned to see the others giving her looks of shock along with some slight respect as she tore into the old woman for her behavior. She blushed for a bit before sitting back down, as she didn't realize that she was standing up, before brushing her fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm herself down. "Lo s-siento, I-"
"No, no it's fine," Pepa assured her niece. "As long as you don't blow up at anyone else. At least for now."
The others laughed a bit, including the Sanchez', Igeslias, and Mondragóns, while Alma could only smile weakly as she endured being the butt of the joke. 'It's what I deserve, it's what I deserve,' she thought to herself as the Mondragón wife clenched her fists into the skirt of her dress.
"Anyways, you mentioned something about a baby shower," Camilo said in an attempt to change the subject and NOT talk about Alma. "What did you do there?"
"Oh, you should have seen it!" Angie said as she became excited again. "It was incredible, the whole family and even the town threw it as a surprise party and held it in the backyard. I got to wear a comfy dress, makeup, and shoes for the event and even got to sit on a throne!"
"That sounds wonderful, niña," Agustín said wistfully. "Reminds me of the parties we held back in the Encantó."
"Yeah, but unlike the ones back in your Encantó, we made sure to invite only close friends and neighbors in the town to come visit, and made sure the mother was relaxing instead of cooking," Maria said in a disdainful tone. "But I'm sure you had lots of people help out with Julieta and Pepa's baby showers. Right?" The way she said it in a sickeningly sweet tone was meant to be both passive-aggressive and provoking.
"Um... well... we tried but..." Agustín responded as he tried to think of a decent retort only to realize that the Encantó baby showers were not nearly as festive compared to the one that the triplets had in San Angel. He recalled how full the Casita was that night everyone helped set up and decorate but barely anyone came into the kitchen except for Alma and a few friends. The fact that Julieta seemed rather tired didn't make it any better.
"Okay, maybe it wasn't as good as we thought it was back then,"
"You think!"
"Calm down, I didn't mind I spent most of my pregnancies eating anyway,"
"Guys please let's not fight here," Mirabel pleaded in an attempt to keep the peace. "Sure our familia wasn't able to throw a party without Mama's cooking in the past but at least we're trying now. I mean, it's the thought that counts. Right?"
"That's right!" Julieta added in an attempt to gain some levity. 'We all did our best, well most of us did...' "Remember your birthdays you always enjoyed those, especially the cakes."
"Sí, I do," she remembers their Quince and how much fun they had together, "but I also remember feeling guilty at the thought of you cooking for so many people."
"I didn't mind..." but Angie stopped her, "You should have. We wanted to keep it just between family and friends so you wouldn't have to cook so much. As much as I loved all those family events and meals. There were parts I hated the most especially when they put a strain on everyone."
"We just wanted everything to be perfect for you,"
"We were content with celebrating with just our family and friends. You wanted to invite your friends fine, but at least make them bring a dish! I know damn well some picky eaters made notes," everyone turned to Dolores. "Everyone loves your food some just have certain favorites," she said and Julieta asked her niece, "Like what?"
"Well kids aren't fans of vegetables and everyone would prefer chocolate."
"Is that how Señor Osvaldo grew a gut?" Layla asked which surprised Mirabel. "How do you know who that is? and the story of his gut?"
"Miguel asked him what papi Bruno predicted for him," Attention on Miguel. "I only told him what you told me too much sugar and dairy can make you fat."
"What did he say?"
"Nothing he just walked home," Chico patted him on the head. "Good. I wouldn't want to sumo slam someone."
"Long story short we all moved here into Acacia's family home. Except for Chico and Zita, they live at the hotel that's a block away"
"Chico?" Pepa asked and He nodded to confirm "Blanca was your sister and she married Javier. Making you Miguel's..."
He nodded, "Maternal uncle. Also, Zita and Acacia are Twins so I'm also Ignácio's brother-in-law," Then Zita chimed in, "Cia and I are Sortornal twins. Same birthday different style," she eats her food.
"They were identical when they were born. Except for their eye color. Made it easier to tell them apart though," said Manolo.
"So Señor Sanchez..." Agustín said.
"Please call me Manolo,"
"Manolo, you mentioned earlier that Zano was your son,"
"That's right Zano is our third son and Luna is our third daughter,"
"So that means you have six children,"
Maria and Manolo smiled while nodding yes, "Most were surprises,"
"I thought I was an accident," said Lulu (Luna) to her parents, "Only when you get in trouble at school," warned Maria everyone laughed. Seemed like things were going well until. "So what's this I hear about Dolores being engaged?" Said Angelina with a serious expression which caused the whole table to go quiet. "After only months of dating."
"Dolores has made it clear she wants to marry him," assured Pepa sensing her estranged niece's dislike, "and Mariano is a good boy."
"Precisely a boy and Dolores. I'm sorry I know you told us and I'm sure he's nice but I still think it's too soon you've barely entered your twenties."
"You prefer it if she runs off," Alma said and then tried to explain herself "I'm sorry, I meant..."
"Don't, this is was inevitable," Acacia tried to calm her down, "Angie"
"I'm fine this needs to be said," she told her worried sister-in-law. "Okay, Abuela you have something you want to say so say it," All eyes were on Alma some out of concern and curiosity.
Manolo sensed this was going to get heated so, "Maria maybe the kids would like-"
"On it! Let's go kids you can eat in my room, I got ice cream!" she said as she gathered: Luna, Raul, Antonio, Layla, Gabriela, and Miguel out of the dining room.
"Mama," Julieta tried to calm her nervous mother. Alma squeezed her hand that she got this.
"I'm sorry," Alma said to Ignácio and Angie. "But when you and your father vanished. We searched for days and every time the search parties came back with nothing. The cracks grew deeper and more painful," she sniffed remembering how hurt she felt. "I spent nights asking your Abuelo why?"
"The simple answer would be we were tired of playing second fiddle to a magic candle," declared Angie. "Which shouldn't have been the case, it's a candle! Not a person!"
"The townsfolk blamed our father for using his gift. Something you've encouraged him to do but one complaint and he gets the scolding!" Ignácio added causing his Tía Pepa to flinch in shame.
"But you know what no matter how much we hated your construed standards of helping, we still love this family. We wanted to stay and change it especially after," she looks at Mirabel who got the idea they saw the tablet first, "leaving was one of the hardest decisions we ever had to make."
"Then why did you leave?!" Shouted Isa "Do you know what we went through? When you left Luisa had to pick up the grunt work, Camilo took over babysitting and I was almost forced into marrying Dolores' boyfriend!"
"What?!" Shouted Ignácio. "You're marrying Isabela's ex?"
"It's not like! Their abuelas arrange it. They weren't even dating. Heck, she didn't even like him back," Mirabel said trying to defuse the situation, "I'm making this worse, am I?"
"This is better than cable," commented Zano earning a glare from the girl.
"I'm not surprised that she arrange it." To her cousins, "I'll talk to you two about that later. What I'm focused on is that Luisa was doing all the grunt work," Angie turned her attention to Alma, Julieta, and Agustín. "How long? How long have you let your daughter do all that work by herself?!"
"I-I didn't know," Alma said. "I'm asking them! But since you insist! How long have they allowed their daughter to be your precious town's pack mule?!"
"We didn't know she needed help," they replied ashamed of how they neglected their other daughters' problems.
"Don't blame them. I didn't know that they needed a break I thought their powers... Everyone seemed okay I assumed they could handle..." Alma said.
"Oh, you assumed that the magic made our tasks easier. That we didn't get tired or stressed!"
"It took all my energy and focus not to flare up!" said Ignacio.
"What did the town forget about how to catch donkeys? Or how to grow crops or have their relatives babysit?!"
"I take it the school system isn't updated on critical thinking or problem-solving," whispered Grandpapí to Zano.
"Angie..." Bruno tried to calm down his daughter in fear for her health. Ignácio noticed too so he went to his sister's side.
"Angie calm down. I'm mad too but-"
"Shut up Nació! Did you forget how stressed she made us and how she made it easy for me to hate her? You had no idea what I felt when I almost killed her!" Angie screamed with tears falling down her cheeks. Everyone was shocked at what they heard even Alma.
'She almost killed Abuela'
'Was that what I heard that night?'
'Damn!'
But before anyone could speak. "Her water just broke," squeaked Dolores.
...!
'Why can't we ever have a simple dinner?"
