Mama's Boy

Part 1

It was an easy morning for the Encanto's resident babysitters. Twelve-year-old Mirabel delivered packages of magically-made polvorosas and empanadas to residents, accumulating a group of children and toddlers along the way. Camilo followed closely behind her, shifted into Luisa so he could carry five kids at once with a piggyback ride. The group of kids was smaller than normal. Only ten kids joined the parade instead of their normal twenty as some kids had chores to do. When lunchtime came around, all the kids went home for the day, leaving Camilo and Mirabel with nothing to do. They went back to Casita, excited for an afternoon off. Camilo went up to his room to check on Antonio, who was taking a nap in his crib. He checked Antonio's diaper, kissed his little brother on the forehead, then sat down on his bed and tried to figure out what to do for the rest of the day. None of the villagers needed his help, and there was no one to babysit except Antonio. He had the blanket he was working on for Antonio, but he reserved his sewing projects for when Abuela sent him to his room. After a few minutes of thought, Camilo hopped off the bed and went to his parents' room. It had been a while since he got to spend time with his mamí. When he reached the door, he could feel a cold wind leaking out from the room. He knocked loudly, and Félix answered, cracking the door just enough for Camilo to see his face.

"Hola, papá," Camilo said. "I wanted to talk to mamí."

"Ay, Camilo, today's not a good day for that," Félix replied softly. "Your mamí had her appointment this morning, remember?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know what it was for."

"The doctor told her that she can't have any more children. We wanted Antonio to have a little brother or sister, but she can't do that."

Camilo's face fell. He knew how much his mother loved him and his siblings, even if she couldn't spend a lot of time with them because she was raining too hard or her chores kept her too busy. Not being able to have another child must have been devastating. "Does she need a cup of tea?"

"I've brought her three already. It's so cold in here that it freezes the second it comes in the door."

"What about you?"

"I've got arepas and blankets to keep me warm and healthy, even when the snow turns to ice. Maybe later tonight, okay? She doesn't want anyone to see her right now."

"Not even me?"

"She barely wants me in here, mijo. But come back later. I'll let you know when the coast is clear."

Camilo nodded sadly and walked away. He walked back to his room and closed the door gently so he didn't wake up Antonio. Seeing Mirabel holding him while sitting in a rocking chair wasn't a surprise. If he wasn't watching him, she was. Mirabel gave him a gentle smile.

"Where did you go?" she whispered.

"I wanted to spend time with mamí, but she's really sad right now," Camilo replied softly. "So now I don't know what to do."

"Mamá was talking about how busy she was today. Maybe you could help her."

"Why don't you help her?"

"My hands are full." Mirabel saw Camilo's eyes light up with an idea. "What is it?"

"I, uh, I can't tell you. You might not like it."

"Oh, come on. You can tell me anything, mellizo."

A few minutes later, Mirabel bounded downstairs into the kitchen, grabbed some arepas for lunch, and ran out of the house. She ran the entire way to Julieta's table in the central square. The line for healing food seemed to stretch on forever, and Julieta looked exhausted.