AUTHOR'S NOTES: So, this is where we meet Bruno's future wife and Luna's Gift comes in handy!
3 Years Later...
Holding his cane in one hand and his daughter's hand in the other, Bruno hoped that they'd be able to make it home before it started to rain.
He'd heard the faint rumble of thunder in the distance and he could feel the storm coming.
Tapping along the sidewalk, Bruno stopped as he felt Luna squeeze his hand twice-her signal that they were at an intersection. "Thanks for taking me to the library, Papi," Luna said as she hefted her backpack of books higher up on her shoulders. "Can we read one of my new books tonight before bed?"
"Of course, moonbeam," Bruno replied before asking, "All clear?"
"All clear," Luna confirmed as she led her father across the street.
Throughout the years, Luna had lost track of how often people made negative remarks about her father—whether due to the visions he had experienced before going blind, or for attempting to be a father to an abandoned girl after he lost his eyesight. It didn't matter to her. Bruno Madrigal was a kind, loving father and even if he couldn't see, that didn't stop him from doing his best as a parent.
But every once in a while, Luna heard the sneers and whispers from people in town as she and Bruno walked to the store or the library and it took her father holding her back to keep her from yelling at them.
"You don't have to defend me, moonbeam," he'd tell her, a tight smile on his face as he'd tousle her hair.
But Luna wasn't the only one who was bothered by the derogatory remarks. Her Tia Julieta would demand to know who specifically was saying things and Tia Pepa ranted and stormed, the cloud above her head crackling with thunder and lightning.
Lost in her own thoughts, Luna let out a yelp as an explosion of thunder shook the ground and lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a sudden deluge of rain.
Grabbing her backpack tightly, Luna hurried to keep up with her father as the two dashed down the street but as they came to another street curb, Luna tripped and went sprawling onto the wet road, getting soaked in the process.
"Papi!" She cried, feeling the scrapes on her hands and knees. Looking around, she couldn't see her father in the torrential downpour and she limped down the sidewalk, calling for him as tears streamed down her face.
"Here, missie! This way!"
Following the voice, Luna saw someone hurrying towards her, taking her hand and guiding her into a restaurant.
A tall, redheaded man bustled over as the woman who'd rescued Luna began fussing over her. "Look at you, milsean, yer soaked to the bone! Come upstairs with me, dearie, and we'll get ye warmed up."
"M-M-My Papi's still out there!" Luna protested, dropping her backpack as she took the woman's hand, following her upstairs and into the apartment above the restaurant.
"What's his name, love?" the woman asked as she dug around in a closet, pulling out some dry clothes and a thick bath towel before leading Luna to the bathroom.
"B-Bruno. Bruno M-Madrigal," Luna replied, starting to shiver.
"I'm Calleigh Lachlan," the woman replied, handing over the clothes and towel. "Get out of those wet clothes and then go wait in the kitchen."
Luna nodded as Senora Lachlan closed the door and headed back downstairs just as her daughter, Ashleigh was coming into the pub, guiding a thin man wearing a dark green ruana.
"I don't suppose you've found his wee daughter, have ye, Ma?" Ashleigh implored, directing the man over to a barstool and watching as he pushed the hood of the ruana back. "Her name is Luna Madrigal."
"Aye, ye'd be Bruno, then, eh?" Calleigh said, brightly. "Don't you worry, lad. Yer little lassie is upstairs dryin' off a wee bit. And ye look like you should do the same."
"Gracias," Bruno replied, handing over his ruana before holding out his cane and making his way towards the stairs, Ashleigh leading the way.
Upstairs, Bruno heard Luna shout "Papi!" before running towards him and hugging him tightly, sobbing hard. "I fell and got all scraped up and you were gone and I was so scared and I didn't know how you were going to find me if you couldn't see-!"
"Estas bien, rayo de luna," Bruno assured Luna, stroking her wet hair as he hugged her. "Shhh... You're alright now. Papi's here."
Sniffling as she pulled away, Luna studied her father, frowning as she noted, "You're all wet, too. You need to dry off."
"I'll get ye some of me Da's old clothes," Ashleigh said, smiling at Bruno before steering him in the direction of the bathroom. Going to the stove and putting the kettle on for tea, she turned to Luna who was drying her eyes on the towel. "So where's yer mother, Luna? Do you want us to call her and tell her the two of you are alright?"
Luna shook her head, pulling the towel closer as she replied, "I-I don't have a mother. I-I-I mean, I did, but she went away and Papi adopted me. I live in La Casita Madrigal with my tias, tios, and Abuela."
Ashleigh nodded thoughtfully and after getting the tea going, she pointed to the phone on the counter as she asked, "Do you want to call home and tell yer family where you are?"
With a quick nod, Luna went over to the phone, dialing the number and waiting until she heard her Abuela pick up.
"Hello?" Alma's voice said cautiously. "Bruno, is that you?"
"It's me, Abuela," Luna replied, sniffling a bit. "Papi and I got caught in the storm and we're at this restaurant in town."
"Gracias a Dios," Alma replied with a sigh of relief. "Your primas wanted to go after you when the rain started. Please call and let us know when you're coming home."
"We will, Abuela," Luna promised before handing the phone to Ashleigh.
"Don't you worry about yer wayward lambs," Ashleigh assured Alma with a smile. "We'll see them safely home when this wretched rain clears up." There was some response that Luna couldn't hear and then Ashleigh added, "Aye, that we will. Good day to ye as well."
Once Ashleigh hung up the phone, she turned to Luna who gave her a shy smile. "Go raibh maith agat as cabhrú le m'athair agus mé féin," Luna said, before going back to sit at the kitchen table.
"Now how did you manage to get that right?" Ashleigh wanted to know, impressed.
"The Madrigals have magical Gifts," Bruno explained as he came out of the bathroom, listening as the door to the apartment opened as Calleigh and Taylor came up. "I... I-I used to be able to see the future," Bruno explained, making his way over to the table. "And Luna is able to quickly understand most languages she hears or reads."
Calleigh beamed at Luna as she gathered up her wet clothes along with Bruno's. "Well, in that case... Failte de dti ar dteach."
"While Callie is washing yer things, come on back down to the pub and I'll fix ye a bite to eat," Taylor said, raising as eyebrow as he watched his daughter go over to Bruno and take his arm, leading him downstairs.
"I'll bring Luna down in a moment," Calleigh promised her husband as she brought a first aid kit over to the table. "I want to get this little angel patched up first." Sitting next to Luna, she cleaned the scrapes to the girl's knees before taping bandages over the wounds. "How do yer hands feel?" she asked, noticing how Luna was holding her left wrist.
"I-I think I broke it," Luna whispered, biting back a whimper as Calleigh felt her hand and wrist.
"It doesn't feel broken," Calleigh assured her, bandaging the scrapes on Luna's hands before wrapping her wrist. "I think it's just a sprain. We'll get ye looked after at the hospital before taking you lot home."
"My Tia Julieta works at the hospital," Luna said as she watched Calleigh gather the wet clothes in a basket before heading for the door. "Her food can heal almost anything."
"Ahhh, so she'll be able to fix you right up, then."
x
Downstairs, Luna found her father sitting at a table with a glass of dark beer in front of him. A hot steaming mug of something was sitting next to him and as Luna sat down and smelled the beverage, she found it to be apple cider.
"Let me check you out, moonbeam," Bruno said while reaching for his daughter's shoulder. When he gently touched her face, he frowned upon discovering a bump starting to form on her forehead. "You're injured. Are you alright? Do we need to take you to the hospital? Where is your backpack? Did you have any snacks from Julieta with you?"
"It's just a bump, Papi," Luna reassured him, but as she held his hands in hers, she regretted it when he noticed that her wrist was wrapped up. "I'm fine," she promised, noticing her father's expression. It was the blend of anger, fear, pain, and sadness that always clouded his features whenever she was sick or hurt. In some way, it always seemed to be his fault, as if he could have stopped it had he been able to see.
"Pa heated up some lamb stew for ye," Ashleigh said brightly as she approached the pair with a large tray hefted above her shoulder. "Plus some fresh baked bread and Irish butter we get shipped in all the way from home."
Grateful for the diversion, Luna dug in and nodded her thanks. "It's really good," she said before taking a slice of bread and spreading it with the butter.
"So how did the two of ye get caught out in this mess?" Ashleigh asked, nodding towards windows where Luna could see the storm still raging.
"We were coming back from the library," Bruno explained after swallowing a bite of lamb. "I tried to make a run for it, but... But that's a rather stupid idea when you can't see."
Lightly feeling the grain of the wood of the table, Ashleigh hesitated before asking, "Do ye mind me asking how it happened?"
Luna paused in chewing a bite of bread and looked from Ashleigh to her father whose expression had become reserved and pensive. After a moment, Bruno replied, "I blinded myself to stop having visions. I-It's a long story."
Reaching up and touching the side of Bruno's face, Ashleigh was grateful he couldn't see her blush as he turned in her direction, taking her hand. "Your voice and accent are beautiful," Bruno said before he'd thought about it.
"Thank you," Ashleigh murmured, grinning madly.
"Ye should hear her sing," Taylor said as he joined them, giving his daughter a one-armed hug. "Angels from Heaven wish they had voices like hers."
"Dad," Ashleigh groaned, burying her face in her hands before dropping her head to the table. Feeling a gentle hand on her arm, she looked up and saw the eager look on Bruno's face.
"I-I'd love to hear you... if you don't mind," Bruno said, smiling.
Switching to his mother tongue, Taylor grabbed Luna's lunch and gestured towards the kitchen, saying, "How about you come with me and let these two have some time alone?"
Agreeing with a nod, Luna got up, but before joining Taylor, she leaned in and softly whispered in Spanish to her father, "She'd be such a beautiful Mami."
Seeing Bruno turn bright red, Ashleigh raised an eyebrow, curious about what the young girl had murmured.
X
When the rain showed no sign of letting up by suppertime, Bruno called home to let his family know that he and Luna were staying with the Lachlans overnight and-weather permitting-would be home the following afternoon.
Curled up in an armchair in the sitting room wrapped in her father's washed and dried ruana, Luna loved hearing Calleigh and Taylor's stories of living in Ireland while Ashleigh prepared dinner.
"Why did you leave Ireland and come here?" Bruno asked as one of his rats, Marco, perched on his shoulder. "Colombia is pretty far away from Europe."
"My sister lives in the city studying snakes," Ashleigh replied, setting the table. "After my grandmother died and left us her money, we came here so Mackenzie could go to university.
Hearing frantic squeaking from the rats, Luna giggled as she cautioned, "Papi's rats aren't to crazy about that."
"Well, I hope they like my corned beef and cabbage," Ashleigh said as she pulled the roasting pan out of the oven along with a dish of golden brown roasted potatoes.
"That smells wonderful," Bruno praised as he stood, taking Luna's hand so she could lead him to the table.
After everyone had sat down and Taylor gave the blessing, they all dug in with gusto.
"Perhaps after you bring Papi and me home tomorrow, you could join us for dinner," Luna proposed, suppressing a grin as she noticed her father's expression. "That way, Abuela can thank you properly for hosting us."
'Sneaky, clever girl,' Bruno thought to himself, feeling a flush in his cheeks. 'If the conversation goes on long enough, Ashleigh and her parents would have to stay at Casita for the night. Your tias would be proud of you.' "Definitely," he concurred, picturing his daughter's joyful face. "It's the least we can do to show our appreciation for your hospitality."
"If you insist," Calleigh said, pouring another glass of wine for Bruno. She looked at Luna and Ashleigh, who had chosen to sit beside each other, and raised an eyebrow as they exchanged a silent high-five. "I caught that," she whispered in Gaelic before giving them a wink.
Pepa was beginning to question whether her brother's old vision of having a wife and children was one of his very rare 'duds'. She could easily count on one hand the occasions when a prophecy failed to come to pass, but they did occur.
Perhaps it was due to his first daughter being adopted, which changed things.
She didn't feel a pressing urge to see Bruno married because he felt lonely or because Luna needed a mother. Despite being blind, Bruno was doing a remarkable job as a single parent, and Luna was wonderful in helping him get out and about in the community.
No, Pepa concluded that the vision would manifest when the time was right.
Although she was starting to wonder if the family should consider placing bets on when Bruno would join with his future wife.
Listening to Casita rattle the floor tiles signifying someone's arrival at the front door, Pepa rushed over, outpacing her mother and sister by a few strides. When she opened the door, she noticed an older couple stepping out of an SUV, accompanied by a woman roughly the same age as the triplets, with Bruno and Luna following behind.
As the small party headed up the path, Julieta and Pepa exchanged a look and both women fought to keep their expressions neutral as they went out to meet the Lachlans.
This was it.
The woman standing arm in arm with Bruno was destined to be his wife.
It was clear from the way Bruno was talking without any trace of nervousness.
It was on his face as his cheeks flushed as he took Ashleigh's hand as he led her into the house and towards the sitting room.
It was in his body language as he strode, relaxed, over to the loveseat so that Ashleigh could sit next to him.
As Julieta observed her brother for any indications of rising anxiety, her eyes opened a bit wider when she saw him laughing and joking with everyone, even introducing a couple of his rats. Juli couldn't recall the last occasion when Bruno appeared so comfortable with anyone, and it was evident that he was quite taken with this charming Irish woman.
Julieta couldn't shake the feeling of how ideal everything seemed, especially as Luna sat on her father's lap, and Ashleigh genuinely attempted to engage Luna in the conversation—inquiring about her favorite books, how school was progressing, and discussing Bruno's rats.
She shared a knowing glance with Pepa and her mother, smiling slightly at the thought of Bruno and Ashleigh tying the knot.
Meanwhile, Luna was grinning from ear to ear.
A/N:
Just in case anyone doesn't want to plug the Gaelic into Google translate...
Milsean: 'darling'
"Go raibh maith agat as cabhrú le m'athair agus mé féin,": "Thank you for helping my father and me."
"Failte de dti ar dteach.": "Welcome to our home."