What if Isabela was Antonio's Mother

Growing Up

3rd person pov
A few months after Antonio's first birthday Everyone was sitting in the living room of casita and Antonio was sat on the opposite side of the couch as Isabela on the floor.

Antonio didn't really like this seating arrangement so he decided to do something about it. He grabbed at the side of the couch to pull himself up. After a lot of wobbling he pulled himself up off the floor he picked up his foot and took a step toward Isabela. Still grabbing onto the couch he took a few more.

She noticed him moving towards her slowly and jumped off her spot on the couch and knelt down on the floor and made a grabbing motion with her hands "come here tonio, you can do it" she said moving everyone's attention to the boy. Everyone let out some kind of shocked noise but no one dared move from their spot as Antonio slowly walked along the couch eventually getting to a point where he would have to let go.

He let go of the couch slowly, and he took the remaining few staggering steps toward Isabela and fell into her lap.

She laughed and everyone in the room cheered as she scooped him up and covered him in red irises. His personal favorites.

He laughed and squealed at the gesture as he picked up some of the flowers and threw them at isa's face. She giggled and in the middle of the interaction between the two Felix pulled him from her arms and said "THATS MY BOY" to Antonio, and started to carry him away from Isabela.

Antonio didn't like that. He just went through all that work only to be taken away. He screamed and held out grabby hands for Isabella.

She gladly removed the boy from his 'fathers' arms, and he gave her a sign that he wanted more flowers which she created for him without hesitation. He squealed again at the sight of the pretty red flowers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Isabella's pov
A few months later I was walking around casita touching up the flowers with Antonio wobbling behind me trying to keep up.

I began to walk faster, run even to get to the next flower "Up mami" he yelled at me and I scooped him up barley able to hold back the tears threatening to spill out of my eyes.

I marched down the stairs and handed him to my Tia pepa "No tonio, that's mami" I said pointing at Tia pepa and walking away.

The older woman was confused until she heard him scream out the word in question while making grabby hands at my back as I walked away. Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably and my mother ran out of the room behind me.

I finally reached my room closed the door gently and let the tears fall as I let out a sob. My mother opened the door and saw me on the floor crying. She pulled me up and walked me over to my bed. I didn't object I put my shaking hands around my legs and pulled my knees up to my face. I sobbed into my knees for a while until my mother pulled my face out of my knees. My vision blurry I looked around my room and there she was with her arms out to hug me.

I jumped into her open arms and sobbed into her shoulder. She stroked my hair and told me "everything's gonna be ok, one day when he's older we'll tell him everything, I'll make sure everything turns out ok..." I didn't respond I just cried into her. She kissed the top of my head.

"I can tell Abuela your sick again so you don't have to do anything for a while" I nodded and I wasn't seen outside my room again for the next two weeks.

Even when I was in my room for two weeks Antonio wouldn't go to sleep without me. So he ended up sleeping in my room.

He would wake me up every morning by pushing his face against my nose forcing me to nuzzle him like I did when he was a baby.

Every morning as if on queue he would say "up mami" and I didn't correct him when it was just us, but if he ever said it in public or outside of my room I would tell him "no that's mami" and point to my Tia pepa. It hurt just as much as the first time he said it.

Eventually as he grew he realized that I wasn't his mother and stopped calling me that. It hurt more when he started calling me his prima. I think a little peace of my soul was chipped away the first time he called me that.

I cried in my room for much longer this time and there was a two year old Antonio right on queue at my door to sleep with me every night. Everyone was curious about my close relationship with the young boy and he told the people who asked that "I was his favorite prima"

Eventually he grew to three, than four, and eventually five years old. On his fifth birthday he was especially nervous for his gift ceremony. I noticed and stopped him in the hall before I went out to the room full of people waiting to watch him get his gift. I told him "you don't have to be nervous, your gonna do great. Your a Madrigal after all" I said patting the side of his face and stroking his face with my thumb.

He still looked nervous so I made him a red iris and tucked it inside his jacket. "There now a little peace of me is keeping you company all the way to your door." That seemed to comfort him as he opened his jacket and looked down at the blood red flower "my favorite flower" he whispered.

I nodded "since you were a baby" he cracked a smile and ran off to find something. I didn't really have time to question it before abuela called me into the room with all the people.