The Swap

Sleepy Shopping for Soup

When Julieta walked into town, she wasn't sure what to expect. She knew Camilo was her son. He always had been. But would the people know? When everyone's Gifts swapped a few months ago, nobody knew about it until the Guzmán gossip machine told them. Did everyone else already know, or was she going to have to tell everyone that her son was her son? Explaining why Camilo was little at the moment was going to be easy, but if someone asked why he was wearing blue, she wasn't sure how she was going to explain it. If everyone thought he was Pepa's son, which he wasn't and hadn't ever been, were they going to think she was crazy? Going into the plaza would give her her answer, so she decided to get it over with and walked to her stand to check on Abuela.

When Julieta arrived in the plaza, the first thing she received was a big smile and a wave from Abuela as she handed out food. The people toward the front of the line all went "awwww" at Camilo, who didn't even stir. He was in a dead sleep and it would take a lot more than that to wake him up. Julieta walked over to the table.

"How was your nap?" Abuela asked with a kind smile.

"Too short, if you ask me," Julieta replied. "My snuggle buddy agreed so much that he shifted small and fell asleep on me again."

"I can tell. He was so cute at that age. What is he, three?"

"Somewhere around there. But I happen to think he's cute at any age." Julieta brushed the curls out of his eyes and looked at his cute little face. "How are things here?"

"Everything's just fine. Camilo's food is healing people like always, and I'm sending people to señor Gomez for minor things, so we should have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow's breakfast. You and tu hijo can both sleep in."

"That's very nice of you, mamá. I think we'll need it."

"Me too. What are you up to?"

"I'm going shopping for lunch. I want to teach Cami how to make sopa de arepa. If it's okay with you, of course," she added quickly.

Abuela's smile got a little bit wider and the look in her eye changed. "Of course you can make it, mija. I'll make sure everyone's back for lunch. You better get going, though. I know it doesn't take long to make, but you need to make sure it has enough time to simmer."

"I remember, mamá. Just because I haven't made it for a while doesn't mean I forgot how to follow a recipe."

"I know. Enjoy your shopping."

Abuela pressed a kiss to Camilo's forehead before Julieta walked away from her table and the line of people waiting for food. Everyone she passed cooed and went "awwww" at the sleeping boy in her arms. Even Osvaldo just chuckled and smiled as she walked past. That answered that question. Everyone in the Encanto knew Camilo was hers. The idea made her smile, even if she knew he had always been hers in the first place. Camilo shifted in her arms and held on tight in his sleep. It was a chilly late November afternoon, but Camilo was so warm with the ruana and footie pajamas that Julieta felt like she was carrying a little heater. He was starting to get heavy, but Camilo mumbled "mamí" in his sleep again, giving Julieta more than enough strength to carry her son. He was way too cute to wake up or put down. When she walked past the fabric store, she remembered that Mirabel had some fabric waiting for her and decided to pick up the order for her. When she walked in, she saw Carolina Rivera behind the counter.

"Good morning, señora," Carolina said timidly. Julieta repressed a smile. Ever since she had started dating Camilo a couple of months earlier, she had became incredibly awkward around Camilo's parents, especially Julieta for some reason. Julieta would be lying to herself if she didn't find it a little funny.