𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 || ⁱ. ᵐᵃᵈʳⁱᵍᵃˡ

three // the makings of an awkward situation

          YOU YAWNED AGAIN as you and your mother reach the steps of Casita the next day, much too sleep deprived to even realize the house was waving at the two of you in excited greeting. Did that window always move like that??

          "Don't you think it's a little too early to be doing this?" You ask with a rub of your eyes, a particularly cloudy morning that made eight am feel like six. You barely got sleep last night when your mother dragged you off to Mila's for their rematch, that stupid game you couldn't even understand reaching until the ass crack of dawn, with neither woman wanting to accept defeat. Your mother ended up winning, but at what cost?

          "You went home hours before me, and yet you're still tired?" She scoffs pompously, knocking on the open door as marching right in would be rude. "Weakling."

          "Dios mío mama do you want me to have enough sleep or not??"

          "Don't you use the name of the Lord in vain." You open your mouth with a retort of how she does it all the time before you're stopped by the familiar grinning face of Pepa, immediately striking up a conversation with your mom as you were both led inside. Talk about unfair.

          "You really didn't have to do this, Gloria." Your mother all but laughs like a bastard, patting Pepa's arm with a shake of her head, "Nonsense! Dolores is a beautiful girl, she deserves a fitting wardrobe." She, in turn, laughed as well, although definitely a lot more dignified than your mom, "It's no surprise that your daughter has beautiful dresses every day then."

          "Gee mom, why can't you compliment me like that?" You ask jokingly as she sends you a glare and Pepa laughs even louder, moving to be in between the two of you as she leads you two further into the house.

          Unbeknownst to you there was a plethora of hushed conversations happening as you walked past, a snickering Camilo looking past the open doorway from the kitchen to see his mother leading the two guests up the stairs where Abuela was. He had no clue what they were doing here but a little birdie told him it was something about his sister's engagement party.

          . . .well the little birdie told Antonio, who in turn told him.

          "Where have you been. . ?!" Mirabel asks as she ducks like that would help, putting away the plates she had just washed from breakfast. "You never oversleep. . !"

          "I don't know either. . !" Isabela snaps in the same hushed tone, stuck looking forward in a worried daze as leaves and even a twig stuck out from her hair. It was still in the braid that Dolores had made last night, but it looked like she had purposely left out her bangs now and strands of her hair danced with the wind unkept. "I don't know what's wrong with me. . !"

          "I could help with an itemized list." Camilo snarks as he walks past, yelping when a vine sneaks past the open window just to slap him. "Ow!"

          "You're probably just stressed," Luisa comments with her usual calming presence, stopping behind her older sister to pick out the shrubbery that she knows she definitely didn't make, "It is a big occasion."

          "Thank you Luisa but this isn't even my engagement, why would I be stressed?!" Said sister sighs, large hands clamping on her sagging shoulders to try her best in soothing them. Now she was officially out of advice, and she mentally noted to go ask her mom for more.

          "Well it's a big day for Dolores, and you two have always been close. Maybe it has something to do with that??" Mirabel, from an outside perspective, was probably making a somewhat decent point, but for the girl she honestly sounded more than a little unsure. How would she know? She helped save this family with empathy yet still struggles to give advice to things she hasn't experienced firsthand.