The Lost Miracle

Chapter 26: Truth

Alejandro knew that there were many perks to being the man behind a town miracle. If she often needed your help, you would get a thank you from whoever you assisted. He could look forward to the stories of her miraculous family. But out of all of that, the best perk was most likely the fact that he didn't have to wreck his nerves before meeting her parents.

That was until today.

Agustin seemed to be kind and relatable. After all, both men were with wonderful women who, for some reason, chose them out of all other eligible men in their villages. Señora Madrigal, however, was a bit more complicated. He knew very little of the woman. Of course, Mirabel spoke of her, but it was typical motherly tales that you could hear from anyone. She told her she was special, she made her arepas and held her as a child when she had nightmares. Julieta was simple. She was a mother. What could he possibly talk about with her?

This is the question that ran through Alejandro's head as he helped her take the food out for lunch. Agustin was setting the table with Mirabel's tio Felix and Bruno, while Mirabel was talking with the rest of her family on the stairs. They each sat on a step, leaning against the railing or a higher step. Alejandro peaked at them, checking on his beloved, wondering if he was needed to defend her. Her precious smile answered his thoughts.

"Is she doing alright?" Andro turned around to face his mother-in-law.

"Uh- yeees." He answered. "She's laughing with her primos right now." He turned back and smiled at Julieta.

"Not at this moment," Julieta clarified. "I mean- i-is she okay? In your village." Andro thought for a moment, wondering what to say.

"She's happy." He said. "She's a bit overworked, but we all take care of her, and we try our best to keep her happy. But she misses you all so much." Julieta gave him a questioning look, as if she thought he was lying in his last sentence. "She talks about you all like a- I don't know, a moth would speak of a flame-" He held back his cringe from his statement. "She loves you all, but some of you seem... har-harmful to her..." he bit his tongue from speaking ill of her family.

"I wish I could understand." Julieta calmly stated. "I was always praised for my gift."

"The power to heal..?" Andro asked. Julieta nodded and continued.

"I was treated so well by the town. They would cheer as I walked through the town. People would give me their own baked goods saying how 'It's nothing compared to what you have made but I just had to thank you, Senorita Julieta!' " she sighed. "It was a bit exhausting." Alejandro rolled his eyes and bruised his tongue from biting it so hard. "You can be honest with me." Julieta suddenly said. Andro blinked.

"I'm sorry?" He asked. She turned to him and leaned her back against the counter.

"I saw you just now," she said. "I'd rather hear your thoughts than have you think about me in a certain way." Andro tightened his lips and spilled out his words.

"I-I just think..." he began. "You talking about how you were loved by your town so much was exhausting is ssstupid..." He nervously hissed out. "I-I just- it's just that I've heard Mira's side of the story for so long. You all basked in the sunlight and left her to rot in the shade- not- not you- I know you cared for her and gave her attention, but the family in general took her for granted and- and I- uhm..." Andro couldn't string together any more words to describe his thoughts. He couldn't keep talking like this to Mira's mother. Mira's. Mother. Mira's. Mother.

"You're right," She calmly said. "We took advantage of many things, including mi bebé," she set down the final plate. "But we each had our own battles. My other daughters were suffering, and I had thought since they were older they could handle it themselves. But just because they could doesn't mean I shouldn't have helped them." She sighed and wiped her hands on her apron. "What I'm trying to say is: we all had things that exhausted us, Mirabel had the most, but we all had something."

"I- I never really thought of that..." Alejandro said, a light sense of shock waiving over him.

"Of course not," Julieta said with a smile. "You were focused on protecting Mirabel." She smiled at him, her ancient brown eyes crinkling at the corners, faint lines contrasting with her eyelashes. "You're perfect for her, you both standing up for the ones you love-"

"Mija," Alma stood in the doorway of the kitchen, clutching to the door post. She smiled at Alejandro and looked back at her daughter. "Who is this guest of ours?"

•••

Mirabel pushed herself up and stood on her toes, stretching her hands above her head. The group of cousins had been called to the table and were beginning to file off of the stairs. Mariano and Dorlores were the first to leave, followed by Carmen and Camillo, and finally Luisa and Isabella. The only ones who remained were the youngest siblings of both families, both who stood in an uncomfortable silence. Antonio was curled up under the post of the first step, while Mirabel towered over him from three steps above.

"Ready to go?" She asked innocently. Antonio stood up and shook his head.

"Mirabel, I..." He began. Mirabel tilted her head to the side and blinked.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I'm-" he quietly sighed and rolled his eyes to Luisa, standing out the window talking to someone. Her brolic back facing him. He stared at the floor for a moment. Then at the opposing post. Then the second step. Floor. Post. Step "I'm sorry..." Floor. "About..." Post. "Guilttrippingyou..." Step. "To- to come..." Mirabel blinked at him.

"Oh... kay..." She furrowed her brows and stepped down. Antonio bolted in front of her, stopping her from going past the second step. He looked at her with wide eyes and a gesture that silently asked her "Well???" Mirabel blinked at him, slowly this time. "What?"

"Are we okay?" He asked.

"No." Antonio's eyebrows shot up to the ceiling.

"What!?"

"Antonio." She began. "You used my grieving mother as leverage to get me to come back here. Do you know how hurtful that is? Do you know how hurtful it is to be here?"

"Hurtful-?" He tripped over his words for a moment, but picked himself up. "You're home. How 'painful' can this be?" Mirabel curled her lip and rolled her shoulders back, a habit she unknowingly picked up from her sister's when they were furious at her or their parents.

"You really don't know, do you?"

"Don't know what?"

"What it was like for me!" she nearly shouted. "To grow up here. I was alone. I was a burden- I was hated by everyone, including myself! No one wanted me."

"But I needed you!" Antonio shouted. He would've been heard by the family outside, if not for the incoming rain distracting them. "I needed you to be there for me! I didn't believe tio Bruno when he told me you were alive and just ran away because I couldn't believe that you could be so selfish-"

Bruno told you? Mirabel asked him in her head.

"-but he was right! You just ran off because you were- you were sad?!" The glare Mirabel gave Antonio pulled tears from his eyes and held them before they rolled down his cheek.

"I was selfish. I admit it." she said. "I hurt you and my mama and my family because I left but I couldn't take this anymore! I'm blamed for everything- It's always Mirabel's fault- what did Mirabel do this time? I may have been selfish- but I deserved to be selfish after all that time, okay abu-" She jerked her head back before finishing the word, but the seed was already planted. "Antonio..." She breathed in and out slowly. "O-okay, Antonio."

This couldn't be happening. Antonio knew well how abuela treated Mirabel. How she yelled at her and made her cry, and now he had been mistaken for her.

"Antonio-"

"Antonio!" they looked towards the voice. Abuela's face was written with confusion. "What is going on here?"