How Times Change

Los días previos al nacimiento

Back in the present, Eva's size grew quickly and it was only a few weeks from the birth when she began to experience sickness or pain. The Doctor said it was unusual but expected for a woman to have such a painless pregnancy and that she should be ready for the birth on the 21st in two months' time.

Bruno assumed it was just an illusion caused by the nerves but it felt so long of a wait and such a short time away at the same time making him unsure of the passage of time on many days, daydreaming his days away trying not to think about the future too hard.

Occasionally it was hard to tell what was a prophecy and what was a simple dream (even if he hadn't been using his powers) so all the nightmares he had been having and the brief but painful flashback he had had to his gift ceremony yesterday made it hard to think straight or concentrate on anything but the worst to come. No matter how hard he tried or the amount of encouragement his family gave him, Bruno found it impossible to feel anything but worry towards the child. This led to a question one that was created from years of nerves and blinded him to the wonder of his own child.

What if the child was like him?

With this question throbbing at the back of his mind Bruno decided to take a hopefully final trip up to his prophecy cave.

It was cold and darker than usual, the sand felt rough and coarse against his skin and it blew against him with a nipping breeze. Bruno looked up the staircase, he had forgotten how many stairs there had been, and shutting the door carefully behind him, he planted a foot onto the first one.

He waited for a few moments, where once the stairs would usually carry him up in a swift but safe fashion now they stood stone still, but he was determined by this point and so began to climb. And though it took a lot longer than expected, to the point where it felt like hours, he eventually made it to the entrance.

Rolling his hand across the stony surfaces, he stepped into the center of the room and immediately kneeled, facing the mural on the back wall that began to glow a warm green whenever he 'lifted the veil of time' as Alma had put it when he first got his gift.

Bruno stroked a match on the rough wall to light it and gently lit the leaves he had laid out in front of him. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he held out his hands and focused as hard as he could, barely feeling the wind around him rise or the sand swirl into the air in a gust of green chaos.

Quickly, he managed to open his eyes despite the burning feeling behind them and stare up at the vision above him...

'>*&$

Out of all of the Madrigals, it was Alma who grew the most silently suspicious of Eva. It wasn't so much that she suspected Eva had ulterior motives or any type of plan and more so the little ways that Eva had tried to push their family out of her own.

The first thing she noticed was the increased amount of time she and Bruno spent away from the house or at her parents' one. The icing on the cake being that she was steering Bruno away from the room Casita had built for him.

Instead, they slept in the spare room of the house and constantly said how they would never raise a child in that environment.

Then, of course, there were the baby names and how Eva had concisely rejected Pedro even as a middle name, instead choosing something a lot more modern, something less traditional.

Despite all this and so much more, the soon to be Abuela of three had kept her comments to herself in the hope that the new addition to the family could hold up the family lineage as much as Delores and Isabela could.

'The wonderful thing about family is how it grows and extends as time goes on. For instance, when I first founded this place, this family, it was simply me and my three beautiful babies. Now, there are three more children and three more adults, all of which we love as our own. So to raise a toast to the soon to be newest addition to the family would be to raise a toast to the family itself. Thank you. To the family!' Alma finished with a raised glass, the full family raising theres to meet it with many clinks and cheers.

'I also wanted to say thank you. This family has been so inviting and I am excited to see what the future holds.'

Another round of cheers until everyone was quiet again.

'So,' Julieta began. 'What were you thinking of naming the child?'

'I was thinking Adella, or Oscar?' Eva said proudly, too much awww and aahh's from the family.

'Actually, I was hoping we could talk again about Pedro or Acacia if it were a girl.' Bruno interjected, to slightly less noise around the dining table, even if she enjoyed the concept of her husband's name being carried down.

'We'll talk about it.' Eva answered again, putting her hand on his knee for a moment.

There was an awkward silence for a second.

'I need some air.' Bruno stood up and walked out.

She felt bad but it was Bruno's child, who knew what it could turn out like.

'Bruno.' Eva called after him. Then, seeing he wasn't going to change his mind or direction, pushed herself politely from the table, said her thanks and followed him into the kitchen.

'What's going on?' Eva tried trying to join him near the oven but he just walked away again.

'I need, need some air.'

'Is this because of the baby names? Brunito we talked about it and my mama-'

'Not the baby names.'

'Then what? What Bruno, you have to talk to me!'

'I'm scared. For the baby.'

'The doctor says-'

'The doctor doesn't know what- he can't tell us the baby's gift. I just need to know if it's like me.'

'I don't understand.'

'No, you don't. It's not your fault.'

'Bruno! How dare you. What don't you think I understand?'

'This entire village. My entire family has thought it was a sign of evil and misfortune since I was five.'

'And my entire family still thinks I'm the screw up that couldn't even get a job!'

'Wait. Wait.'

'What?!'

'Your family, they thought you were a screw up...'

'You know that. Yes.'

'And you needed to...'

'Bruno? I'm not starting this argument over. Why don't we go back in? Eh? Have some food?'

'Do you love me?' Bruno asked. The question came out of nowhere but for Bruno at least, it had been coming for a long time.

'...'

'Pleas Eva. Do you. Love. Me?'

'...'

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, desperation rising.

'What kind of a question is that?'

'Please.'

'Yes. Or course mi amor.'

Bruno sighed, exclusively flopping down into a side chair and putting his head in his hands.

'I'm sorry.'

'It's alright my love. The baby is going to be alright. We are going to be alright.'