Mama's Boy

Part 3

October 17th was never a festive day in la casa Madrigal. Sure, it was the triplets' birthday, but it was also the day Alma lost her Pedro. The closest to happy everyone had ever been on that day was when Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno got their Gifts forty-six years earlier. Since then, the anniversary of Encanto's existence has been solemn. Work slowed down, but not because it was a happy occasion. Those old enough to remember, like Alma and Claudia Guzmán, tried to lose themselves in their daily routines to keep from remembering those who were lost. By the end of the day, Alma, Claudia, and a few of the older members of the community got together and shared stories about their old homes and loved ones. Other members of the village spent time with their families and quietly celebrated their blessings.

For the Madrigal children and grandchildren, the day was a balancing act. The natural excitement everyone else had for their birthdays wasn't there. Julieta made fewer arepas than usual because fewer people were working, but that wasn't much of a birthday present. Pepa didn't water the fields as much because not as many people were out working in the first place, so they weren't there to tell her that the water level wasn't perfect. This was Bruno's first birthday with the family in eleven years, but everything was awkward even before leaving for the walls. The triplets tiptoed around their mother on their birthday, making sure not to show too much emotion because showing too much happiness would earn a remark from Abuela about how their father died. At the same time, too much sadness would make Abuela sad because her children couldn't celebrate their birthdays. The grandchildren didn't have it much easier. Even Isabela had to steer clear of Abuela. One wrong word, sound, or even a white flower instead of a pink one would set her off. Camilo learned that the hard way on his mother's 41st birthday. He was sent to his room that morning and not allowed out until dinnertime. But today would be different.

Camilo sprang out of bed at 4:00 AM, already excited for the day. He had a foolproof plan to make the triplets' 51st birthday great. They worked so hard. He wasn't going to let that happen today. Step one included getting all of Julieta's cooking done for her. He got ready for the day in record time, running through the shower and putting on his favorite chameleon ruana with strips of jaguar print, red, and teal fabrics on it. When he left his room and didn't see the kitchen light on, he smiled widely and slid down the stairs before waving at the portrait of Pedro on the back wall.

"Morning, Abuelo!" he said as he bounded into the kitchen and turned on the lights. As always, coffee came first. Camilo donned his apron and sighed happily as magic flowed from the fabric into his fingers. The day he found out he could use Julieta's Gift when he wore the apron made him so happy. He learned the next day that he had access to Mirabel's sugary powers when he wore the butterfly ruana she gave him. Once the coffee was on, he worked on the first batch of arepas for the day while the fryer oil heated up for buñuelos. Camilo knew Julieta's recipes by heart after helping her in the kitchen for three years. His doughs were identical to hers. Not even Abuela could tell the difference between his and Julieta's arepas con queso. By 4:30, Camilo already had a batch on the stove and downed two cups of coffee. He was going to need a lot of caffeine to get through the day.

Julieta walked down at 5:00 AM, rubbing her eyes. She squinted at the unexpected light from the kitchen. "Camilo? What are you doing?"

"Happy birthday, tía!" Camilo said, swooping over and kissing her cheek before returning to the griddle and flipping arepas. "I'm giving you the morning off."

"You what?"

"Go back to sleep. I'll wake you at 7:30."

"Camilo, you can't-"

"I already have two dozen arepas and twenty buñuelos, and I'm just getting warmed up. This is part of my birthday present to you. You know you want more sleep." Just the word sleep made Julieta yawn. "Go back to bed, tía. Let me do this for you today."