Love Me for Eternity || Bruno Madrigal

Chapter 53: Brothers

There were moments that little Javier would shy away and hide; a trait that Alma was not particularly fond of. As much as the way he would bury his face on the back of your skirt whenever she was near, Alma still cared for her grandson. He looked like the carbon copy of his father as well, the matriarch took notice. From the way Javier would close in on himself with a lift of his tiny shoulders, to the way his feet would shuffle close to each other in anxiousness—everything was the same as Bruno. That just fueled her fondness for the boy, just like how she adored her youngest child when he was Bruno's age.

With that same favor came the close scrutiny of which you raised him. Alma would often give you and Bruno tips; reminders of which to follow in order to raise Javier to be a confident boy. If he was anything like his father, Alma thought, then he would grow up to be as anxious as him. Skittish, maybe. Definitely quiet and reserved.

Angelina and Ignacio were a different case—they certainly gave Alma a run for her money every time they set their minds on bouts of mischief. They set fire on the kitchen three times this year alone. Three times. She had never dealt with children as rowdy and as disruptive as them before. Mateo had told her that they had the same uncontrolled chaos as you when you were their age, and Alma had to give him credit for raising you to be a well-behaved woman. But she would admit; she had a hand with your upbringing, so she prided in the fact that she had helped you blossom into a proper lady despite your...riotous tendencies.

Due to this, Alma hovered on your ways of parenting constantly. You were grateful to an extent—you didn't actually have the experience to raise triplets of all things, especially when two of them were the embodiment of chaos itself. She had more reprimands than praises, more passing comments than lessons, but you tolerated them. It was a learning curve for you, and you were sure Alma did it in the goodness of her heart (and maybe a bit of worry there for raising two of the most enthusiastic troublemakers of the house).

Sometimes though, you were downright scared of Alma when she found faults in your parenting. Just like how you managed to lose Javier just mere hours before his gift ceremony.

"How could you lose such a timid child during one of the most important days of the year? Who knows where he could be right now!" Alma paced back and forth in her room, caressing the locket that contained the image of her darling Pedro. You straightened your back and placed your hands in front; neat and folded.

"I'm sorry, mamá. It was such a busy day and I had to chase after Ignacio when he almost got out of Casita—" she raised her hand firmly. You immediately bowed your head and did not speak any further. You knew talking over your madrina would bring more problems. You saw Alma stop and take a deep breath before turning to you, significantly calmer now than she was before she called you to her room. The triplets were scheduled to dress up in the nursery for their cumpleanos, but lo and behold, you only managed to find Ignacio and Angelina for their fitting. It had already been a few hours since you last saw Javier and you were getting significantly worried. Casita, at least, had assured you that he was still in the house—but it led to the question of where he was. The sentient home wasn't too keen on telling you either.

"I have my hands full with the town already—this year's gift ceremony is one of the most awaited days out of all the children; everything must go perfectly," she let out a heavy sigh. It sounded stressed. Frustrated. You looked down in shame when she gave you a look of disappointment. "I had to ask Isabela to redo the arrangements for the flowers twice after Ignacio managed rope Camilo into his schemes and ruined them, Angelina and her pet lamb are running around like wild horses while disrupting the preparations and managed to sneak into the kitchen to steal dessert, and now Javier is missing! Ay, Dios, how in the world are you raising your children?"